Over 12% of the 1.5 million people who live in Philadelphia are over the age of 65. Many of these elderly citizens live in one of Philadelphia’s nursing homes, and some of these residents have suffered abuse at the hands of nursing home employees. The cases in the most recent years have led to a state-wide cracking down on nursing home policies.
In 2015, the Pennsylvania Attorney General Kane filed a lawsuit against the Golden Living Chain, which has nursing homes in Philadelphia as well as other cities across the state. According to the lawsuit, these nursing homes have failed to provide the basic healthcare needs of the elderly residents who rely on the facilities to keep them safe and healthy.
One of the largest issues named by the lawsuit was the issue of financial exploitation, as well as other signs of abuse and neglect. The Department of Health began conducting audits into the 36 facilities operated by the Golden Living Chain during 2016.
In addition to opening major lawsuits against nursing homes accused of elder abuse, the Attorney General’s office also began allowing anonymous reports. The amount of abuse instances reported rose by 34% when this change was made. Abuse reports can be made by any concerned party, even one that wishes to remain anonymous. Reporting a case of elder abuse also frees the party of any threat of retaliation or prosecution.
The signs to watch for include weight loss, injuries that cannot be explained, a sudden withdrawal from activities or socialization, confusion or depression, and a sudden lack of cash flow or missing personal property.
In earlier years, there were cases being seen by the Pennsylvania courts, but often they were dismissed. For example, in 2011, three nursing home workers in Philadelphia were found not guilty of elder abuse after a hidden camera captured them mocking and verbally abusing an elderly woman as she dressed.
The judge reprimanded their behavior as inappropriate, but did not agree that the actions were criminal. Pennsylvania state law does include the verbal and emotional abuse of elderly citizens as a criminal act.
Lawyers who specialize in elder abuse cases cite the effort to keep overhead costs down in nursing homes as one of the causes of abuse. Short staffing, and hiring of underqualified staff, leads to a reduction of the quality of care residents can expect to receive. A facility that does not have a full staff with multiple licensed members, is a red flag for families wishing to avoid their elderly relatives being treated wrongly.
In the city of Philadelphia, the PCA operates the Older Adult Protective Services Department, which helps intervene when elderly citizens are abused, abandoned, or neglected. Nearly 2,000 reports of abuse are investigated every year in the city. This organization largely exists to investigate claims of neglect and abuse in personal, private home settings. However, physical, sexual, or mental and emotional abuse in a nursing care facility that is not receiving Medicaid for the patient’s care is also under their jurisdiction.
The PCA Helpline is 215-765-9040, and they keep all calls confidential. Reports to the PCA can be made by anyone, including the elderly person in the situation, concerned family or friends, mandatory reporters, or anyone who suspects cases of elder abuse.
The PCA investigators can help with insurance and legal matters, transportation, emergency assistance, and day services for elderly adults. They can also refer you to legal services that specialize in elder abuse, as well as other government services and programs that can help.
Sources:
http://www.pcacares.org/pca_ss_Elder_Abuse.aspx
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Quadrangle-Elder-Abuse-Verdict-135706348.html
http://www.pahomepage.com/news/improving-nursing-homes-in-pennsylvania
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/01/prweb13187491.htm