I’m not sure if I have a legal case. What exactly is considered elder abuse?

Elder abuse occurs when an older individual is neglected, exploited, or abused physically, sexually or emotionally. Typically, people who are victims of elder abuse are those who are frail, vulnerable, and older, according to the Administration on Aging.

Abuse of older persons can occur by abusers who are men and women. Typically, abuse occurs at the hands of people who know the victim, such as a friend, family member, or nursing home worker. Sometimes, abusers are nursing home residents themselves who suffer from dementia.

With elder abuse, it is common that the abuser is someone who is younger or more mobile than the person being abused. Victims of elder abuse are generally people who depend on others to take care of them.
Sadly, thousands of elderly people are abused every year across this nation in the following ways, including:

• Sexual abuse is when someone touches a senior inappropriately or has any type of non-consensual sexual contact.
• Physical abuse is when someone inflicts pain on an elderly individual. This can include kicking, biting, hitting, broken bones, and being restrained.
• Emotional abuse is when someone threatens, intimates, or verbally abuses an older person.
• Financial abuse is when someone misuses a senior’s money or property for their benefit.
• Neglect is when those in charge of taking care of a senior fail to provide that elderly individual with food, water, shelter, and health care.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by another person in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you may have a nursing home abuse case. To learn more, contact the Law Offices of David Benenfeld to speak with a trusted South Florida nursing home abuse lawyer in a free consultation today at 866-9 HELP NOW or 866-943-5766.