Thursday, January 22, 2009

Support Group Formed

Families connected to alleged abuse at Good Sam Society find each other

The 15 families of the alleged abuse victims at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea could never have imagined that their paths would cross at the center of a nationally known case alleging abuse at a nursing home.

But then in December, prosecutors filed charges against two alleged teenage perpetrators for multiple charges related to abuse. The charges alleged verbal, sexual and physical abuse of several residents.

The families met for their first time in an official support group setting.

The group, which they are calling Families Against Nursing Home Abuse, is giving them a chance to talk of their experiences and to gain solace in the fact that there are others who could have potentially gone through the same experiences.

Their long-term goal is to work to prevent abuse of vulnerable adults.

Full Article and Source:
Elder abuse support group forms

See also:

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The families of the elderly that were the targets of the abusers are fortunate to have a support system to help them with their pain and anger with others who know exactly how they feel.

The number of walking wounded will increase dramatically as the population numbers increase.

Steps can be taken to send a strong, clear message that these abuses will not be tolerated.

1) Harsh punishment

2) Public humiliation (YES, the abusers must be identified and made public) treated like child molesters/predators.

And if I had my way, I would 3) BRAND the abusers like cattle on their foreheads: I AM GUILTY OF ELDER ABUSE.

Anonymous said...

This is great - some good has come out of such darkness.

I hope they grow and become active on a national level.

Nursing home abuse is an important issue and it can't receive enough attention.

Anonymous said...

I think the time is for US federal legislation for nursing homes to be ordered by law to have granny (and grandpappy) cams in all the rooms and hallways.

This is going to get worse, a lot worse. People are living longer, there will be more elderly within the next 5 - 10 years.

I am getting my travel bag ready (just in case) with defensive tools that I can use to protect myself.

What other measures other than checking out early can be taken by a person to ensure quality of life and safety at the end of our lives?