Look around your local grocery store or doctor’s office, or place of worship. We are all getting older. There are more men and women than ever in our country living well into their senior citizen years. The most recent census, conducted in 2010, showed that there are now more than 40 million people in the United States sixty-five years of age or older. This age bracket accounts for around thirteen percent of our total population.
With the “graying of America,” as some analysts have termed this demographic development, comes new opportunities and challenges. There are more people who now need assisted care, as living longer does not necessarily mean our minds and bodies are up for an extended life span without the help of others. This also means that those who enter into a profession associated with geriatric medicine or residential care will not have to search long for open job positions in their chosen field.
The men and women who spend their days and nights caring for the elderly who no longer are able to tend to their own daily needs are mostly dedicated professionals who bring great comfort to those who may be frustrated and sad that they no longer have the independence of living on their own. When done well, the work done in our assisted living or nursing homes is remarkable and certainly undervalued.
However, we all have heard horror stories of instances in which the elderly have been victims of abuse or neglect in nursing homes or hospitals. In fact, there is abuse reported at one in three of such facilities in our nation! From bedsores due to lack of movement to instances of malnutrition to outright physical assault, there are some awful circumstances of which those who have parents or grandparents in these facilities need to be aware. When it happens, the administrators of the home or facility must be held accountable so that no one else suffers.
When you make the difficult decision to put your mom or dad in an assisted living home, you want to know that they are safe, cared for, respected, and given the quality of life they deserve. If you have reason to believe these criteria are not being met and your loved one is suffering, you should contact legal counsel for help. The attorneys at Bertolino LLP will work with you to make sure the offending parties are no longer allowed to harm your family member or anyone else. Please don’t remain silent about this important issue one more day . . . call us, and we’ll take care of it from there.
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