One of our areas of special focus arises from one of the greatest crimes against humanity: obtaining justice for elderly who are abused or neglected. We’ve all heard the horror stories and listened to friends struggling to find a great assisted living or nursing home facility for their parents or loved ones. Putting your trust in strangers to care for your aging family members is a daunting prospect. Because too often, the care they receive is sub-par or even criminal.
As reported in the Philadelphia Daily News on February 20th, “In Philadelphia and across the nation, elder abuse – physical, financial, sexual or by neglect – is a growing problem, yet it dwells in the shadows of the better-publicized crimes of child abuse and domestic abuse, advocates say.”
Because elder abuse is such a growing concern in the city, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has coordinated its elder abuse efforts into the new Elder Justice Project, designed to better prosecute perpetrators and better serve victims.
“I personally feel that elder abuse is heinous, and it’s something that we as a society have to do more to stop,” Elder Justice Project Director Deborah Cooper Nixon told the Daily News, which reported the office has the names of hundreds of abuse victims age 60 and older with active cases in the D.A.’s Office. Because of our experience, that figure does not surprise us.
The Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco philosophy includes a commitment to protecting the elderly and infirm. Here is a small sampling of our clients who have received 6-figure settlements from elder abuse cases we’ve represented:
· For the family of an 82-year-old woman who fell three times, broke her hip and eventually died;
· For the family of an 87-year-old man who died of a fractured hip that led to internal bleeding;
· For a 74-year-old man who suffered bed sores, which eventually resulted in amputation;
· For the family of an 82-year-old man who died of complications from a fall;
· For an 86-year-old woman who was left in a wheelchair for 11 hours before falling and fracturing her hip;
· For the family of a 74-year-old woman who was neglected while suffering end-stage lung cancer; and
· For the family of a resident who died as the result of severe neglect, including untreated broken bones.
Visit this page to learn more about how to spot elder abuse. Your attention and action will make the difference. And please give our Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys a call at (888) 899-0652 if you suspect your loved one is a victim of elder abuse.
