Charlotte, Florida - Florida may have the nation’s
highest percentage of older residents, but a national study has found
the state’s not doing a good enough job of taking care of them.
It ranks
below average in terms of elder abuse and neglect protections and dead
last nationally when it comes to resources, such as funding for
long-term care ombudsmen and eldercare organizations and services,
according to WalletHub.
A
separate recent canvass of Florida residents revealed that concerns
regarding elder care and nursing home costs are also at an
all-time-high, with almost three in four saying they’re "somewhat
concerned" or "very concerned" in a USF- Nielsen Sunshine State Survey.
According to the research, residents are worried about and aware of the
same problems highlighted by WalletHub -- the state is not putting
enough money into these senior services, there is not enough funding for
key help such as caregivers, and the amount of services are lacking
despite such a large 65-plus community.
Nursing home
emergencies and deaths during power outages in the aftermath of
Hurricane Irma recently highlighted significant flaws in elder care
protocols and regulations.
Reacting to the
crisis, during which Gov. Rick Scott was accused of not following up on
calls for help, the state put in an emergency generator rule requiring
nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have a working generator
and 96 hours of fuel.
That was too late for
at least a dozen residents who died in sweltering conditions at The
Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, which was located adjacent to a
medical center. But legislators say they’re poised to address the
challenges in the industry.
"Apparently not
everyone has common sense to call 911 in an emergency and evacuate
people to the hospital across the street," state Rep. Katie Edwards
said. "They have to get their act together, they have to have a plan,
and damn it, it’s ridiculous that we have to mandate that people have to
do that."
During the ongoing
legislative session, Edwards and others are targeting Florida’s
Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, which records show has regularly
turned up fewer complaints each year under Gov. Scott for the state’s
3,772 registered nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The elder care issue,
as USF- Nielsen highlighted, is of high interest in a state where Pew
Research Center found that "53 of 67 counties have an above-average
share of people 65 and older." Charlotte has the second-largest
percentage and Sarasota fourth in the U.S., among counties of more than
25,000 residents, according to a Pew analysis of 2014 Census data.
The concern is unless
more action is taken to prevent further abuse, the problem will grow as
Florida becomes an increasingly aging state. The U.S. Census Bureau
projects the national population of senior citizens is expected to
double by 2050, from 43.1 million to 83.7 million.
Already, nearly 96 percent of elder abuse instances go unreported or unresolved, according to WalletHub.
That’s why increasing
public awareness and training are the two most important factors of
preventing and addressing neglect or worse, said BeLinda AmanKwaa, Adult
Protective Operations Program Administrator for the state Department of
Children and Families in Charlotte County, North Port and other nearby
communities.
State records obtained
by the Sun show that of Florida’s 34,792 cases in 2017, only 12 percent
were verified. Of 67 counties, Sarasota and Charlotte ranked 13th and
23rd, respectively, in the number of complaints.
Dade County led the
state in total numbers but fares better than Charlotte and Sarasota
counties when it comes to the rate, according to a Sun analysis of the
data using U.S. Census numbers. Dade had one complaint for every 158
residents who are 65 or over; both Charlotte and Sarasota have one for
every 153.
While the lack of
verification of complaints could partially be the result of no abuse
actually occurring in a case, many are dismissed because evidence is
sparse or does not meet certain standards, AmanKwaa said.
The standard: "Abuse
means any willful act or threatened act by a relative, caregiver, or
household member, which causes or is likely to cause significant
impairment to a vulnerable adult’s physical, mental, or emotional
health. Abuse includes acts and omissions," AmanKwaa said.
Victims are not always
able to speak out or get necessary help for themselves, making a
support system, reliable witnesses or trustworthy homes and facilities
key in obtaining justice, she said.
Likewise, the stigma
surrounding abuse in this plays a concerning role on whether or not a
case is reported, according to AmanKwaa. Bringing light to such a
situation can often make the victim feel even more vulnerable,
potentially dissuading affected individuals from coming forward. Others,
as studies have shown, keep quiet "to maintain their independent living
arrangement," said Thomas G. Blomberg, Florida State Professor of
Criminology and the university’s Executive Director of the Center for
Criminology and Public Policy Research.
"They do not want to
move in with their children or to be moved to assisted living
facilities," said Blomberg, who has studied elder abuse. "As a result,
elders often suffer from abuse and financial exploitation in silence,
for fear that their "well-meaning" children, if they are aware of the
abuse, will take away their independent living arrangement. Families
need to be open with elders and supportive of their wishes -- letting
them know that as long as humanly possible, they will live as they
choose and are able."
Florida consent laws
state that anyone of sound mind has the right to refuse services and
interventions; therefore, even outside witnesses to neglect or abuse are
not always enough to make a case if the victim themselves do not want
to prosecute.
"A vulnerable adult
who has the mental capacity to consent may opt to refuse all services,"
said AmanKwaa. Meaning that withheld treatments or under-medication --
which could look like signs of neglect to a third-party -- could
actually be what the patient is requesting.
While legislators consider additional statutes, one current law couldn’t be more clear: "Florida law requires
the reporting of known or suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or
self-neglect of vulnerable adults (elderly or disabled)," AmanKwaa said.
Like the TSA and Homeland Security campaigns, or even on Buzzfeed, if you see something, chances are you should say something.
Sun-Sentinel reporter Dan Sweeney and former WalletHub writer Richie Bernardo supplemented this report.
Full Article & Source:
Florida fails seniors
1 comment:
My grandmother said over and over that you don't want to get sick in Florida because the healthcare is so bad.
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