The number of Americans aged 65 and older continues to increase. In fact, this group will account for more than 20 percent of the population by 2040. Many of these people will live in nursing homes and eldercare facilities.
It is important to learn as much as possible about nursing home abuse. Below, we discuss Arizona nursing home abuse statistics and facts. We also discuss the most common types of elder and nursing home abuse.
ELDER ABUSE IN NURSING HOMES
Unfortunately, the elderly often experience abuse from the people they trust most. This can include but is not limited to:
- Caretakers
- Family members
- Friends
- Nursing home staff
- Anyone who takes advantage of the vulnerable
Thus, it is important to pay attention to elder abuse facts and statistics. It is also equally important to understand how elder and nursing home abuse presents itself. The most common types of elder and nursing home abuse include:
- Intentional physical harm
- Injuries caused by negligence
- Sexual assault and/or abuse
- Neglect
- Financial exploitation
In Arizona, nursing homes must report incidents of abuse within 48 hours. This is both a state and federal law. If a nursing home fails to report abuse, then they could face severe consequences. These consequences may include:
- Fines
- Criminal action
- Nursing home closure
- Nursing home abuse lawsuit
ELDER ABUSE IN NURSING HOMES STATISTICS
The Arizona Adult Protective Services (APS) releases an annual report about elder and nursing home abuse. Their 2018 report reveals the following nursing home abuse statistics:
- 31,240 total communications received by APS
- 4,257 abuse allegations
- 3,256 neglect allegations
- 3,748 exploitation allegations
- 5,801 self-neglect allegations
- Over 4,000 perpetrators of abuse were family members
- Nearly 3,000 perpetrators of abuse were caregivers and/or residential management
Are you responsible for the care of an elderly family member? Have you placed this person in a nursing home? If you are witnessing signs of nursing home abuse and believe that your loved one is the victim, then you have a duty to report it. You can file an online report anytime. You can also report abuse by calling the APS Adult Abuse Hotline at (877) 767-2385.
If your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, then you should also consult with an attorney as soon as possible. It is important to take action against nursing homes where abuse is occurring, because in many instances, abuse will continue if there is no deterrence.
Schedule a free consultation with the Arizona elder abuse lawyers at our firm to review your case. We are here to help our clients seek justice and the compensation they deserve.
CONTACT OUR ARIZONA ELDER ABUSE LAWYERS
At Miller Kory Rowe LLP, we are very familiar with the nursing home abuse statistics in Arizona and we have helped many of these victims obtain justice. The attorneys at Miller Kory Rowe LLP have decades of combined experience handling nursing home abuse cases. We provide aggressive and principled legal representation to elder abuse victims in Phoenix, Tucson and throughout Arizona. If you choose to hire us, we will never charge you fees unless we can help you successfully recover compensation.
For a free consultation, reach out to our Arizona elder abuse lawyers. Give us a call today at (602) 648-4045, or send us an online message. We look forward to meeting with you and hearing your perspective about the case.
