In almost every person’s life there comes a time when that person has to find some sort of care for a parent who cannot take care of himself. With this comes the possibility of abuse. While most people think of elder abuse in the context of a substandard nursing home, the abuse can also come from in-home care provided by various agencies or even from relatives. Fortunately, California has various laws dealing with possible elder abuse.
Abuse of the elderly comes in many forms. Of course, there can be physical or violent abuse, but California statutes go much farther in defining types of abuse. For instance, neglect is one form, defined by the failure to provide adequate nutrition or hydration, clothing, medical care, protection from safety hazards, and other details. There is also psychological abuse, which can include verbal abuse, being confined unnecessarily to one room for a long time, being intimidated or made to be fearful, and other definitions. Other types of abuse defined in the statutes include financial abuse, which includes extortion, fraudulent investment, and other types; isolation abuse, in which the caregiver prevents the victim from receiving contact from others by mail, phone or visits; and abandonment of various types.
The statutes defining the various types of abuse also provide for stiff penalties for such abuse. Unfortunately, many times it is hard to recognize that a person is a victim of such abuse, especially since the guilty caregiver will take pains to hide the fact. Additionally, many times the elderly will not be listened to when they themselves report abuse to a relative because of their mental state and the tendency of the caregiver to brush aside such accusations as being made up or imagined.
Anyone with an elderly relative or friend being cared for by another, whether in-home or in a facility, should watch for signs of abuse. These can include changes in personality, including anxiety, unusual confusion, unfamiliar behaviors, fearfulness, and others. Physical signs can include bruising or other wounds, unexplained weight loss, burns, poor hygiene or unclean living conditions, dirty clothing, signs of lice or bed bugs, signs of drug misuse, and others. Signs of financial abuse include sudden withdrawals or transfers of funds or other assets without adequate explanation, disappearances of valuable items, signs of forgery, and sudden changes of financial documents such as a will or trust.
Of course, if the victim reports abuse, this should be taken into consideration, even if the person’s mental state is not entirely dependable. Since smaller signs may or may not be symptoms of actual abuse, if you have doubts, your best course of action is to consult an attorney experienced in elder abuse, both in acting on abuse and preventing it. There are many elder abuse attorneys Los Angeles experienced in this type of action. If you have doubts about the care of your loved one, don’t hesitate to contact a law firm such as stonesalluslaw to ease your mind.
