News & Information from the Law Offices of Alan Shafner

Statistics show that over 30% of all nursing homes have been reported for at least one case of elder abuse. Over the years, these statistics have continued to grow. And in addition to the cases of nursing home abuse that have been reported, many more victims of abuse have remained silent due to fear. The true percentage of elder abuse is much greater than 30%.

Women are more likely to be victims of elder abuse than men: 2 out of every 3 abuse cases are women.74.8% of all elder abuse offenders were under 60 years old. Elder abuse is a serious issue. Nearly half of the 192,249 cases investigated by the Adult Protective Services (APS) were substantiated.

89.4% of reported elder abuse cases have been committed in a domestic setting. Most victims are older than 80 and lived in their homes requiring some assistance with daily activities. Because much of the abuse is behind closed doors, reporting elder abuse has become increasingly important. Act now and prevent Denver nursing malpractice.

Elder abuse can occur in many forms some are very obvious while others are often dismissed.

Physical Abuse – Inflicting injury to a defenseless elder or threatening harm. Physical abuse is also characterized by withholding or over-delivering their basic needs such as food, medicines, fluids or exercise. Some form of physical abuse accounts for 25% of all elder abuse victims.

Emotional or Psychological Abuse – This abuse is defined as verbally or non-verbally inflicting pain, distress, misery or agony. This form of abuse occurs 36% of all elder abuse cases, and can be very hard to detect due to their deteriorating cognitive state.

Sexual Abuse – Any non-consensual sexual act is considered sexual abuse. Majority of all sexual abuse cases are committed by someone on the nursing staff.

Financial Abuse – Financial abuse is most often performed by family members having access to their financial assets. 30% of elder abuse cases take some form of financial abuse. Exploiting elders finances can be the simple misuse of assets, concealment of any assets including property or possessions even changes to wills. The estimated financial loss per year for elder financial abuse is $2.9 billion.

Abuse through Neglect – 49% of elder abuse cases are neglecting elder’s needs. Neglecting an elders needs such as hygiene, food, shelter and protection are all considered abuse.

Abuse through Abandonment – If you have assumed care or custody of an elder and leave them to manage on their own, this is considered abuse through abandonment.

Only 21 of the United States have an abuse registry, and are working to actively inform people of the growing statistics of elder abuse. We do not want to see the statistics of Denver elder abuse and negligence rise. We must work together to prevent Denver elder abuse in nursing homes. If you suspect a loved one or neighbor is a victim of elder abuse in Colorado, Contact Shafner Law now.