Elder Abuse in Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted Living Facilities is a long term housing care option for seniors who need help with their activities of daily living (such as eating and transportation), but do not need the full-fledged daily support of an intensive care provided from a skilled nursing facility; essentially, the option for independence for these seniors remains in Assisted Living Facilities. In the United States, the Assisted Living Facilities is a giant industry, with surges in growth predicted in the coming years as the generation of Baby Boomers is expected to retire.  While this may sound as an attractive type of senior case housing opportunity, there are egregious cases of elder abuse in Assisted Living Facilities that may arise.

            Elder Abuse, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as, is "any abuse and neglect of persons age 60 and older by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust."¹. Elder Abuse in Assisted Living Facilities may take multiple forms:

·        Physical Abuse

·         Neglect/Deprivation

       Physical Abuse:

            Physical abuse occurs when caretakers physically cause pain and harm to the seniors they are supposed to be caring for. Common acts include, but are not limited to: hitting, beating,pinching, and using excessive force. Visible signs of physical abuse include, but are not limited to: bruises, fractures, and sprains.  There are also some additional acts of physical abuse, which are not as common, but still considered physical abuse: inappropriate administration of medication psychotropic drugs and unnecessary restraint.

    Neglect/Deprivation:

            Neglect/Deprivation occurs when caretakers refuse, or simply fail to, care for the senior residents. When seniors develop pressure sores, become dehydrated, or develop health issues that could have been otherwise avoided.

            A great video to watch to learn more about Elder Abuse in assisted living facilities is titled “Life and Death in Assisted Living”, which was produced by Frontline in conjunction with ProPublica in July 30, 2013. This video can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/life-and-death-in-assisted-living/. This video looks into one of the largest assisted living facility chains in the country (“Emeritus”), and reveals startling real-world examples of egregious abuse in assisted living facilities. It is also complemented by a written series, which can be found at http://www.propublica.org/series/life-and-death-in-assisted-living.

To learn more about Elder Abuse in Assisted Living facilities, an assisted living death lawyer may be found through a local county bar association. For any referrals for these assisted living death lawyers, please call Moran Law at 714-549-0333.