World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Preventing Nursing Home Abuse

Each year, June 15 is set aside as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This important day brings awareness and education to an important problem in today’s world.

According to the National Council on Aging, one in 10 seniors in America have experienced some form of elder abuse. However, it is estimated that this number is not accurate, as some studies show that as little as one in 14 instances of abuse are ever reported.

As staunch advocates for victims of nursing home abuse, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is an important day for the Milwaukee nursing home abuse attorneys at PKSD. We have seen countless instances of innocent individuals suffering abuse and neglect through no fault of their own.

This is why we are committed to helping raise awareness about this important problem and doing our part to help elder abuse victims obtain the justice and compensation they deserve through the legal system.

Can Elder Abuse be Prevented?

Elder abuse is common in nursing home facilities because elderly residents rely on the facility to care for their every need, from eating, bathing, using the restroom, and moving to and from their bed. Often, they are too weak or do not have the capacity to do these things for themselves.

Furthermore, nursing home residents are often socially isolated and may suffer from mental impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

These things make this population particularly susceptible to abuse and neglect from caregivers.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to help prevent elder abuse from happening to your loved one.

Be Proactive

One of the best ways to prevent elder abuse is to be proactive and involved with your loved one.

Regular visits to the nursing home will show the staff that this is someone who has loved ones watching out for him or her. It will also allow you to recognize signs of abuse or neglect as soon as they happen or begin to occur. This can help prevent them from escalating and further hurting your loved one.

In a study supported by the World Health Organization and released in coordination with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the most common types of elder abuse include:

Recognize the Warning Signs

To help prevent these types of abuse and neglect, you should be on the lookout for the following signs:

Report Any Signs of Abuse or Neglect Immediately

If you recognize any of these signs of abuse, you should report it immediately:

• If your loved one is in immediate danger, call 911 as soon as possible.
• Notify the management at the nursing home.
• Report the incident to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Office of Caregiver Quality by calling (608) 261-8319 or emailing [email protected].
• Contact the Wisconsin State Ombudsman Program.

You should then immediately contact our Milwaukee nursing home abuse attorneys. We can help you alert the appropriate authorities and ensure a claim has been properly filed.

Contact Our Attorneys

The Milwaukee nursing home abuse attorneys at PKSD are committed to helping nursing home residents seek justice and compensation if they have been abused, neglected or mistreated by a nursing home facility.

We will make sure the proper authorities are alerted, conduct an independent investigation, gather the necessary evidence and build a strong case on your behalf.

Do not hesitate to contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation. Our personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we will not charge you anything unless we recover compensation for you.

Call 414-333-3333 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form.