State Government Hiding Elderly Abuse? Are You Kidding Me?!

Some times you just have to shake your head. A Tennessee lawmaker is seeking to get legislation passed that would protect people guilty of elder abuse! Tennessee State Sen. Brian Kelsey wants to make sure that results of elder abuse surveys and investigations are prohibited from being used in court to protect the abused elderly victims.

Wait, what? With elder abuse on the rise and more and more members of our population entering nursing homes, one would think that each and every lawmaker would be trying to do something to prevent elder abuse from flourishing. This guy is trying to protect the nursing homes who are failing at protecting their residents?

Tennessee may be a long way from New Jersey, but stories like this are frightening nonetheless. According to a National Center on Elder Abuse and Bureau of Justice report, an astounding 91 percent of nursing homes lack adequate staff to properly care for patients and 36 percent have violated elderly abuse laws. Worse yet, the report goes on to say that only one in 14 elderly abuse cases is actually reported. This is because abuse can be difficult to prove.

That’s where you, the family members, come in. We place our loved ones in nursing homes because we want them to have the best possible quality of life. It is sad and alarming that we have to worry about them being abused or neglected, but we do! Report any abuse you see to the nursing home administrators, the New Jersey Ombusman’s office or the Department of Health and Senior Services. If the nursing home resident is injured, consider calling a nursing home abuse lawyer who will fight for your family’s rights. This is what Sugarman Law does every day for New Jersey’s elderly and their families.

Barry Sugarman is passionate about protecting the rights of New Jersey’s elderly, contact the Sugarman Law Firm today for a free consultation about your concerns.