Many states recognize that elder abuse is a growing issue, especially in nursing homes.
State Rep. Garry Smith (R) Greenville is working to introduce legislation that will make it more difficult for abusers to go from one nursing home to the next without being tracked.
"The agencies and departments do a real good job following up on the reports, but the legislature has done a very poor job. It's also something that we need to do to protect those who cannot protect themselves," Rep. Smith said in a phone interview.
Senior Action Executive Director Andrea Smith says that nearly 5 percent of our aging population will live in a nursing home at the end of their life.
According to WalletHub, one in five U.S. residents will be retirement age by 2030, meaning more aging adults will eventually need assistance and could potentially become vulnerable to care takers.
"Giving not only support for the seniors but for the family members that are caring for them is another important thing that we as a community really need to get our arms around. How do we support the folks that are taking care of seniors," Smith says.
Andrea and her staff know that knowledge is power, so they teach those who visit the center how to take care of themselves, emotionally, mentally and physically.
John and Shirley Wichmann appreciate the support.
They regularly visit the Senior Action facility to see friends and get educated on issues that affect them.
"There also are classes about things like abuse, if someone is hurting you or if something is happening how you can report it, how you can be careful and let people know or you can let someone here know or it can be taken care of," Shirley said.
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SC ranks last in elder abuse protections
I hope this negative attention gets them on the ball.
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