Author Archives: Adam Peck

Here are Some Common Examples of Elder Abuse:

• A resident being left in agony for two weeks with an undiagnosed broken leg.
• A man who received just one bath in 22 days.
• Residents being asked to use newspaper instead of toilet rolls in the bathroom.
• A vulnerable man on a liquid-only diet being given a plate of hamburger and chips.
• A Elderly woman left in her feces getting into her stage four bedsore to become infected causing her death.
• A a man so Dehydrated and Malnourished that he lost total kidney functions.

Care was undermined by chronic staff shortages and “overworked” nurses and nursing assistants.

The complete lack of respect and dignity shown to residents, coupled with poor standards of care, are a damning indictment of the elder health care system that must now be radically reformed or more elders will continue to be severely neglected and abused says Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer Steven Peck.

In one case, an elderly man endured a series of healthcare blunders, which led to his rapid deterioration and death. An investigation revealed he had suffered a pressure sore that went untreated for so long it turned into a wound one inch deep by two wide.

Financial stability is considered a mark of people in middle and old age (40 and older). Consider the fact that 70 percent of our nation’s wealth is controlled by people over age 50. But just as banks are interested in this, so, too, are criminals. This sets up older adults for a variety of theft schemes and scams. Simply stated, thieves know that older adults have money and see this as a window of opportunity. This is especially true when older adults need in-home assistance with activities of daily living (for example, bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding oneself, etc.).

The prevention of elderly abuse by dishonest caregivers is a significant socioeconomic problem. Legislation is needed now to control this kind of elder abuse.

It is estimated that the number of elderly (that is, people between the ages of 65 and 84) will grow by almost 31 million people between 2010 and 2040. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that there will be 6.5 million people needed to care for the elderly by 2050. In short, this translates to 6.5 million possibilities for elder abuse at the hands of dishonest caregivers. In summary, the enactment of a statewide law requiring caregivers (be they private or public) to pass a criminal background check would address this socioeconomic injustice. Our state’s elderly population deserves as much.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA is staph infection that has become immune to many types of antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacteria that lives on our skin and, most of the time, causes no ill effects. The problems begin to happen if there is a break in the skin – through a cut, a puncture, or some other opening – that allows the staph to enter into the body.

Unchecked MRSA may develop into sepsis. Sometimes called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body’s often deadly response to infection or injury. Sepsis kills and disables millions and requires early suspicion and rapid treatment for survival.

Worldwide, one-third of patients who develop sepsis die. Almost 20% of patients who develop sepsis after surgery die. Many who do survive are left with organ dysfunction and/or amputations. (What is the prognosis (outcome) with sepsis?)

There are two types of MRSA infections: community acquired (CA) and hospital acquired (HA). Hospital-acquired infections of any type are called nosocomial infections. The most common type is HA-MRSA, but CA-MRSA is becoming more common.

MRSA infection can also cause pneumonia. This must be treated as quickly as possible to help avoid serious complications.