What happens when the roles reverse, and as the child you now find yourself not only trying to provide for and raise your own family, but also trying to care for an aging parent? Even more traumatic may be finding that your spouse or a child may require around the clock care for years to come. Often this means something that most of us never want to think about; the reality that we will have to leave our loved ones at the mercy of an in home caregiver, or perhaps even move them to a nursing home.
Neither situation would normally be characterized as ideal. The news stories are everywhere, and a quick search for statistics from reputable organizations will strike fear into most anyone with a loved on in such a situation.
For instance it’s reported that:
- More than 30% of nursing homes in the United States have been cited for nursing home abuse.
- Between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.
- According to the National Elder Abuse Incident Study, it is estimated that only about 16 percent of nursing home abuse cases are reported.
- In 1999, 5,000 death certificates of nursing home patients listed dehydration, malnutrition, starvation, or bedsores as the cause of death.
- Statistics show that one-quarter of the nurses’ aides that are prosecuted for nursing home abuse have criminal records, and nationwide it is estimated that approximately five percent of nurse’s aides that currently work in nursing homes have criminal records.
- 20% of reported elder abuse cases involve emotional abuse.
The list goes on and on, and over the years in our investigations we have seen the reality of what the reports only show as raw numbers and percentages. We have uncovered the truth regarding trays of food that were brought into a room and left for someone who was too weak to feed themselves, only for it to sit there until it was picked up later and returned to the kitchen uneaten. Our hidden cameras revealed a situation where an orderly would go into the resident’s room and eat their food, leaving the empty tray to be returned to the kitchen and the staff to believe the patient had been fed. We’ve seen the financial and emotional abuse when a live-in caregiver was stealing from the one they were supposed to be caring for, and we’ve seen patients who were forced to lie in beds with soiled linens for days.
Our loved ones deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and care. If you suspect abuse or neglect by a nursing home, or caregiver, we have the experience to launch a very discreet investigation to get answers for you. If you’re considering a nursing home for someone you know, we can conduct an investigation for you before the fact to find out about violations, and interview residents to see how they’re treated and how they like the staff. Also just as if you were hiring a private caregiver, we can conduct a background investigation on nursing home staff members or a potential caregiver.
Don’t wish you had done something later. If you even think you may have reason to be concerned, contact us now at 972-617-9210 to speak with an investigator. There is no charge for the consultation and all calls are confidential.
