Depression is not usually associated with the older generations. Yet elderly folks have the highest suicide rate in comparison to younger age groups. Every 90 minutes one elderly individual commits suicide. The reasons of suicide among the elderly vary. Loneliness, deteriorating health, loss of jobs or deaths of family members are just a few of the reasons why suicide rates are so high.
Continue Reading...A group in South Florida wants to ban guns from hospitals and nursing homes by trying to enforce a list of weapon free safety zones that already includes schools, government buildings, and athletic events. The group is stressing that the environments in these areas are emotionally charged and adding a firearm into them would be a bad idea for patients and for the individuals inside the hospitals.
Continue Reading...According to a study by Syracuse University in New York, obese elderly are far more likely than their thinner peers to suffer a potentially disabling fall. Although those elderly who are more on the severe obese scale may be somewhat protected from injury because of the extra padding and denser bones.
Continue Reading...The Detroit Free Press has chronicled the problems with Michigan's nursing homes in a multipart special report titled "Trust and Neglect." The Free Press is the latest in a string of major metropolitan newspapers to highlight nursing home abuse, bringing growing attention to the problem.
Continue Reading...With technology advancing so quickly, there have been many developments in devices that can help elderly individuals. The Nara Institute of Science and Technology has created a robot that is able to dress the physically disabled and elderly. The device incorporates reinforcement learning and amazingly adapts to each person’s individual size and shape within minutes.
Continue Reading...Hospitals around the country are trying to prevent a drug-resistant staph infection from becoming more of a threat. The bacteria called Clostridum difficile, or C. diff, is responsible for more than 20,000 deaths and at least $1 billion in heath care costs in the United States per year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. C. diff is a bacteria found in the colon and spread through spores that can live on surfaces for months and cause diarrhea, intestinal inflammation and abdominal pain.
Continue Reading...Just months after proposing a series of bills that would loosen regulations of assisted-living facilities and strip away residents' rights, state legislators in Florida are now calling for tougher regulation of assisted living facilities. This reversal comes after a newspaper investigation revealed that nearly one resident per month dies of abuse and neglect in Florida assisted-living facilities.
Continue Reading...Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, a private nonprofit group, has released recommendations for strengthening laws governing nursing home abuse and neglect in the state. The recommendations follow a study of state records on abuse and neglect that showed the nursing homes and employees were allowed to continue without punishment despite documented cases of abuse and neglect.
Continue Reading...According to a investigation from the U.S. Administration on Aging, a Florida program designed to prevent elder abuse in assisted living facilities has been undermined by political and industry influence. The investigation was prompted by the firing of the outspoken head of the Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and determined that conflicts of interest in the organization of the program have allowed the program to be ineffective.
Continue Reading...With the proliferation of elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes becoming a growing concern across the country, family members have begun using hidden video cameras, dubbed "granny cams," to catch abuse of their loved ones by nursing home staff members. Though nursing home administrators dislike the practice, hidden cameras have helped family members hold nursing homes accountable through legal action.
Continue Reading...One of this year's winner's of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, commonly known as the MacArthur "Genius" grant, is being recognized for her work in fighting elder abuse and is planning to use the $500,000 grant to continue her fight. Marie-Therese Connolly is the the director of Life Long Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based group dedicated to fighting elder abuse and she plans to use her grant money to write a book and continue traveling the country educating people on elder abuse.
Continue Reading...Make A Difference day occurs every fourth Saturday in October, and in some cases it is the step into taking the time to volunteer and help someone on a more regular basis. In Green Bay, WI a woman was prompted to help the elderly when she read an article about elderly abuse in her local newspaper.
Continue Reading...The state Attorney General’s Office has created a task force aimed at combating the problem of elder financial abuse. The action comes after several incidents of elder abuse that resulted in the victims losing over thousands of dollars in personal finances. In one instance, a woman caring for two elderly people aged 94 and 95 had stolen over $62,000 from one of the elderly victims. In a second incident, another caretaker stole $27,000 total from two patients she was caring for
Continue Reading...In Sacramento, CA, new legislation is being sent to the governor’s office that would help prevent police, doctors and others from being put on hold for long periods of time on the state’s elder abuse hotline. This new legislation would allow police and other authorities to submit reports of elder abuse or neglect via a secure website on the Internet.
Continue Reading...Several communities throughout the United States and throughout the world have begun fundraising and holding awareness drives in observance of Alzheimer’s Month throughout the month of September. In Laurel, MS, supporters have created a fundraising event using a purple elephant mascot named Hope.
Continue Reading...The family of a West Virginia woman was awarded $91.5 million in damages following a two-week long court trial over negligence of an elderly woman. The 87-year-old woman was staying at a West Virginia nursing home for three weeks before she died. A jury found that workers from the nursing home neglected to feed or care for the elderly woman’s health, which directly resulted in her death. The woman’s death came as a result of dehydration.
Continue Reading...In Canada a hotline is being introduced to help enforce better hospital care for elderly individuals. Many elderly individuals are released prematurely from hospitals and are denied the vital care services they desperately need. This type of rush to get the elderly out can make the health ailments they suffer from worse or neglected.
Continue Reading...The ATB Financial bank has joined with Edmonton and Calgary police in Canada to try and put a stop to elder financial abuse. The financial institution has developed a training program for its employees to recognize when people are trying to take advantage of elders and steal their money. The financial institution is one of the first ones to work with law enforcement to develop this training program.
Continue Reading...Despite a law in the state of Indiana that would provide state funding for health-care services, Indiana taxpayers are still paying $300 million per year toward nursing home costs. The law would allow elderly residents to get medical services while living in their homes. The report on the Chicago Tribune website states that roughly 18% of Indiana’s nursing homes remain empty and roughly 6,000 people wait on a list for services.
Continue Reading...A report on the Berkshire Eagle website demonstrates how several cases against nursing homes in Pittsfield, MA have tarnished their image. These cases include one conviction of an employee for rape, two for assault, and several employees terminated as a result of different incidents. The report states at least two of these cases involved employees that had a criminal record prior to being employed.
Continue Reading...The Elder Financial Protection Network launched its 8th annual “Call to Action” summit on April 31 to discuss elder abuse prevention practices and bring special attention to the many scams that plague the elderly. Among the speakers on hand for the event were California Insurance Commissioner, Dave Jones and San Francisco District Attorney, George Gascon.
Continue Reading...In Allen County, IN, the medical professionals in charge of developing the Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center have created a new agency dedicated to assisting elders. The Forensic Advocacy Center for Elders (FACE) was created as a way for victims to gain access to medical, legal, and social services assistance if they require it. The Fort Wayne.com news report states it is the first agency of this kind to be developed in the state of Indiana.
Continue Reading...In a possible case of elder financial abuse in San Diego, investigators and the police department are asking the public for assistance to find two suspects wanted in connection with several scams against elderly individuals. According to authorities, two cases that occurred recently could be linked involving a male and female posing as roofing inspectors. The two perpetrators would enter an elderly person’s home and one would distract the victim.
Continue Reading...Attorney General Tom Horne in Arizona has announced the launch of a new task force formed to combat elder abuse cases. The Taskforce Against Senior Abuse (TASA) is part of the Attorney General’s office’s Public Advocacy Division according to ABC15. The taskforce will be used as a means of protecting seniors from elder abuse by mandating prosecution for elder abuse, elder neglect, exploitation, and scams that target elders. The report states that a hotline has been established where people can report possible incidents of elder abuse or neglect. The taskforce can be reached by phone at 602-542-2124 or via email at seniorabuse@azag.gov.
Continue Reading...The Patriot Ledger in Massachusetts reports that while reports of elder abuse and neglect continue to rise in the state, cuts in funding continue to put a strain in the assistance of state is able to provide for abuse victims. A legislative meeting took place on the 16th to discuss the problem and several state agencies spoke on behalf of many abuse victims that they are trying to assist.
Continue Reading...This coming Tuesday and Wednesday, Clay County law enforcement officials will be receiving training in elder abuse prevention from the Clay County Elder Abuse training team. In 2009, the county’s attorney’s office received a grant from the Department of Justice for training purposes. The coordinator that was in charge of handing out the grant money stated that the training will be used to inform law enforcement officers of the best ways to go about responding to and investigating elder abuse incidents in Clay County. The amount of the grant totaled $290,000, according to the report.
Continue Reading...In Cason City, Nevada, a legislative committee unanimously supported a bill that would add fines to differing forms of elder abuse. Legislative Bill 5855 allows the attorney general to place fines against crimes of fraud against a person over 60 as well as crimes of abuse, neglect and isolation. The amount in fines ranges from $5,000 for first-offenders and $30,000 thereafter. The bill will reportedly also help with compensation for victims of elder abuse or neglect. The bill will now go to the Senate floor.
Continue Reading...A 78-year-old man was found in his Washington Township home after his niece went to his home to check on him. Robert Anderson reportedly died of natural causes in his home. His home had been damaged as a result of a fire that occurred after a light fixture malfunctioned and caught fire. The fire started and ended on its own, according to a Sergeant for the Michigan State police force.
Continue Reading...According to a report from 3news.co.nz, a 76-year-old man was discovered by a police helicopter in a water-filled drain. Bryan Thomas Warrander was found through the use of infra-red cameras. The elderly man was reportedly missing since Wednesday. Warrander had suffered from hypothermia as a result of being in the drain for so long.
Continue Reading...The Yuma Sun reports that the Yuma County Elder Abuse Task Force hosted an event in Arizona to provide senior citizens the proper tools and information to be able to protect themselves against elder abuse. The Yuma County Elder Abuse Task Force worked together with the Western Arizona Council of Governments to host the event at the Yuma Art Center.
Continue Reading...CNN Health reports that the Government Accountability Office conducted an investigation and discovered over 45 incidents of elder abuse by legal guardians. According to the report, 20 of those incidents involved guardians stealing roughly $5.4 million from 158 people. Six of those cases involved court-appointed legal guardians that were not screened or monitored in any way. In one of those six cases, a convicted bank robber was appointed legal guardian over a wealthy, elderly individual with no family connections. The legal guardian reportedly stole over $600,000 when the elderly man began to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Continue Reading...Statistics from Bristol Elder Services, the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs and the RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence show that cases of elder abuse and domestic violence continue to rise. A report from turnto10.com, an NBC affiliate in Rhode Island, states that over 1,800 cases of elder abuse were reported in Massachusetts last year.
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