Killing For Profit..The Dark Side of Hospice

Killing For Profit available on Amazon

Betrayed By Hospice with host Marsha Joiner.  March 4, 2020 broadcast with Michelle Young Doers.
Author:  Michelle Young Doers

“They really do have a license to kill. Will you or your loved one be their next victim?”

If you are afraid of dying and do not want to know the truth, this may not be the book for you. If on the other hand you want a true insider’s look at healthcare and the ways people suffer and are killed at the hands of others, then read on.Hospice has a lollipop and candy cane image, that could not be further from the truth. It is a hard core business of ‘dealing’ with the most susceptible in our society, the dying.

Hospice would like us to believe that they are here to provide our loved ones with the care and attention they need in their final months, weeks and days. And although that may have been the noble start of this service, they have become like any modern business of putting profits first. They make money from you dying and when that is no longer profitable, they neatly dispose of you through various means.

And when employees speak up, they are disposed of as well. You will read first-hand accounts of patients that have fallen into healthcare traps. The treatments, that the patients were provided, not for their benefit, but to enrich a company, will shock you. Their misfortune can help you, or a loved one, avoid the same fate. But, you need to know what questions to ask, what your rights are, and what the healthcare provider is required to do.

You need to have your eyes fully open. It may all sound like cloak and dagger, but with hospice it happens out in the open and right in front of you.

They really do have a license to kill.

Will you or your loved one be their next victim?

Full Article & Source:
Killing For Profit..The Dark Side of Hospice

Florida Bar section proposes new guardianship rules with less transparency

Public documents could be made confidential

By: Adam Walser

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Thousands of Floridians are under court-ordered guardianship, a system in which a judge declares a person — called a ward — to be incapacitated, takes away that person’s rights, then assigns a professional guardian to take over their lives.

The guardian and their attorney are then paid from the ward’s assets for their services.

For more than seven years, the ABC Action News I-Team has combed through thousands of court records, exposing lots of instances of exploitation and abuse of vulnerable seniors by their court-appointed guardians.

Now some of the attorneys who represent those guardians are trying to make it more difficult for the public to find out what's going on in those cases.

“I can dress myself, I can take a shower, I can walk,” 99-year-old Willi Berchau told us in 2013, as he begged the I-Team to help free him from an Alzheimer’s unit in an assisted living facility where he had been placed by his professional guardian.

He had been declared incapacitated three times by a judge but was continuing to try to get his rights restored.

“There’s a lot of things wrong… a lot of things. It's got to be looked into,” Berchau said in an interview.

Since that time, we’ve uncovered plenty of things wrong with Florida’s court-ordered guardianship program.

Our findings included guardians selling homes, cars and other property under market value without appraisals.

In some cases, court records showed patterns in which homes were sold multiple times in the same day, benefiting associates of the guardian, but not the ward who they took an oath to represent.

We found guardians seeking “Do Not Resuscitate Orders” without alerting judges or family members.

We uncovered guardians pre-paying for wards’ cremations, even though they already owned burial plots and cremation violated their religious beliefs.

And we found multiple cases in which guardians financially exploited people they were appointed to provide care for.

THE PRICE OF PROTECTION

But an overhaul of the Florida Guardianship law proposed by the Real Property, Probate and Trust section of the Florida Bar could prevent the public from learning what goes on in individual guardianship cases in the future if their recommendations are enacted into law

“For the last six years, we studied the code, we looked at what’s being done nationally,” said Bill Hennessey, who chairs the committee that is making the recommended changes.

That committee recommends measures aimed at preserving the ward’s right to privacy.

Currently, things like health and financial records are kept confidential, but the new proposal expands these protections to all of the ward’s private information.

That includes records that show who is buying wards' property and at what price, how much guardians and their attorneys are billing wards, how often guardians actually visit their wards and whether a ward asks the court to be re-evaluated and released from guardianship.

That happened in Willi Berchau’s case and he was eventually freed from guardianship.

“The issue here that we’re always going to try to balance is dealing with a person’s privacy and dignity versus this issue of the good things that happen when you open the court files,” said Hennessey.

He says often confidential information is not sealed, subjecting the wards to embarrassment or potential exploitation.

Let’s document what really has gone on and what allowed those four, who have been criminally arrested to flourish within this system that would appear to be more about profiteering that protection.

Hennessey says the new law addresses plenty of issues aimed at protecting wards and he looks forward to working with others to come up with a final version of the law.

“We all need to be working together to protect these folks. And we’re going to have a good dialogue together in the legislature,” he said.

The proposed new rules will first have to be approved by the Florida Bar Board of Governors.

Then that section of the bar will lobby legislators to draft a bill for the next session.

Here is a link to their proposed new law: https://rpptl.org/uploads/RPPTL%20EC%20Zoom%20Meeting%20Agenda%20082220-updated%20.pdf

The section dealing with reform of the guardianship statute begins on page 240.

Full Article & Source:
Florida Bar section proposes new guardianship rules with less transparency

In Other News, Peter Falk’s Daughter is Still Chipping Away at Guardianship

I thank my lucky stars for Catherine Falk, every day of my life. Daughter of TV’s famous, rumpled, delightful Lt. Columbo, she has been working hard to assure nobody else has to go through what she did. When her father was stricken with Alzheimer’s, Catherine was prevented from visiting him by his legal guardian. With the cooperation of the courts, she was not notified when he died. She was not notified of his funeral arrangements.

HIS OWN DAUGHTER.

For those who don’t know, a guardianship is anarchy. The guardian doesn’t have to abide by laws common in child custody. The guardian can do whatever he/she wants. These laws are regulated on a state-by-state basis. The courts are notorious for rubber-stamping them.

I’ve gotten the rubber stamp twice, after filing two petitions in two separate years and under two different judges, to get a visit with my sister Amanda.

Amanda has Down syndrome and in 2013 (following the death of our dad, of whom I was primary caretaker along with Amanda), she was swooped out to Arizona from our home state of Michigan. This was following a dispute between another sibling, our oldest sister Robin, and the current guardian, brother Ted. 

Amanda and I stayed together during those very painful months and we wrote a book, “The North Side of Down.” Immediately after we published it, our story won the Honorary Medallion from the Book Reader’s Appreciation Group. This made Amanda one of the few co-authors in the world with Down syndrome… And Perhaps the only award-winning co-author.

It was my first glimpse into what a horror show guardianship is. I was so relieved when Ted won that case. Amanda was terrified that Robin was going to win. But we both thought things would be just fine now.

WRONG.

Anyone who has followed this blog has seen the struggle I have been though, just trying to get quality time with my sister.

Who knew it was going to be so hard to get permission to take your sister out for movies and pizza?

Evil is rampant, and it isn’t just toward the elderly.

Amanda is a cash cow. Her disability check is “worth a lot more than people thought,” Ted’s wife Ruthie said, back when she was still talking to me.

I couldn’t have cared less about the money. But I am becoming very aware of how much others do.

Back during the days of more open communication, Ted told me he was afraid if Amanda spent too much time with me in Michigan, “she won’t want to come back.”

He transferred her case to Arizona in an attempt to thwart me from filing further petitions. 

It’s not going to work. 

The only thing that has prevented me this year is the influx of Covid-19.

Now, per this text message, he claims he has removed me from notices about Amanda’s legal status through the court. He said I refused delivery (not true) and I will not be getting any more updates. Ted has lied to me in the past, so it may not be true that he has requested me to be removed and the court agreed, but if it is, it wouldn’t surprise me. 

When I posted this latest update on Facebook, a friend asked, “How low can Ted go?”

I guess we are finding that out, eh?

I thought his real low point was when Amanda wept in the restaurant and begged him to let her have time with me.

This friend is not alone. There are a number of friends and relatives, including people who have known Amanda her whole life, who are aghast at the way Ted is treating her. They don’t speak out. Many of them have even withdrawn from Amanda because they are so disgusted by the situation.

I wish people had more courage. Granted, my sisters can be vicious. They are bullies. They will gang up on you.

So what?

Do the right thing. 

We need to shed a light on this unethical behavior of guardians. Thank you, Catherine Falk, for pegging away at it.

On September 24th, Amanda turns 50 years old. Hang in there, little sis. I’m not giving up.

Stop Guardian Abuse

Full Article & Source:
In Other News, Peter Falk’s Daughter is Still Chipping Away at Guardianship

Britney Spears' Father Jamie Opposes Her Request to Open Conservatorship Case to the Public

Jamie Spears says he has "sought through the years to protect his daughter from the pain such free access to information inevitably would cause her" 

By Brianne Tracy

The legal back-and-forth between Britney Spears and her father, Jamie, over her conservatorship continues.

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE on Friday, Jamie, 68, responded to the pop star, 38, and her attorney Samuel D. Ingham III's filing last week which asked the judge to deny his motions to seal parts of the ongoing conservatorship case of her estate. Instead of making proceedings private, Britney and her legal team say they want to make the case "transparent" with her fans.

Jamie, however, argues in the new filing that the public does not need to know everything and says he is wanting to seal some aspects of the case to help his daughter keep parts of her life, her children's lives, her medical details and her "susceptibility to undue influence" private.

"Ms. Spears has a right to privacy that overcomes the public’s right of general access to the conservatorship proceeding," the filing says.

"And given the frequently pernicious use of sensitive and private information of celebrities, Mr. Spears has sought through the years to protect the conservatee — his daughter — from the pain that such free access to the information inevitably would cause her," the filing continues.

Jamie further argues that before Britney can waive her right to privacy regarding her medical information and sensitive personal information "it must be determined that she has the capacity to understand the consequences of her waiver."

Britney Spears and father Jamie

Chris Farina/Corbis/Getty

Spears' conservatorship was first placed in 2008 with her father being named the permanent conservator of her affairs and attorney Andrew Wallet the permanent co-conservator of her estate. After Jamie stepped down due to health reasons in September 2019, Jodi Montgomery replaced him as Britney's temporary conservator.

Jamie asserts that his motion to seal was filed to also "protect the privacy rights of a third party, specifically the name and address of a third party where [Britney's mother] Lynne Spears has requested that she be served in this proceeding" and "to take the precautionary step to allow" for Montgomery to assert Britney's privacy rights, which she has not done yet.

"To date, Ms. Montgomery has not opposed the Motion to Seal and has not informed Mr. Spears or his counsel that she will oppose it," the filing says. "Despite the fact that the requested sealing is minimal, the Opposition to Mr. Spears’ Motion to Seal fails to distinguish between Ms. Spears’ privacy rights and those of her minor children, whom the Opposition does not mention at all."

Jamie makes clear that he has "requested only the minimum amount of confidential information be sealed, consistent with the Court rules and Ms. Spears’ constitutional rights to privacy," and that Ingham "unequivocally supported" the motions to seal in the past.

"Regrettably, the Opposition appears to be a grandstand aimed at engendering a response from persons who have no direct interest in the conservatorship at the cost of Ms. Spears’ statutorily protected right to medical privacy and the privacy of her minor children," Jamie's filing says. "Until this summer, Mr. Ingham never opposed and in fact, on behalf of his client, has almost always supported a motion to seal his client’s private and confidential information. As Ms. Spears’ counsel, he has brought several such motions himself and has made numerous oral motions to close the courtroom."

Elsewhere in the filing, Jamie responds to the separate court documents Ingham filed last week saying that Britney wants a "voluntary" conservatorship in which she can "exercise her right to nominate a conservator of the estate." (Britney suggested wealth management and investment advisory firm, Bessemer Trust Company of California, N.A., to be her conservator and previously said in court documents that she is "strongly opposed" to having her father return as sole conservator.)

"As the Opposition states, this is a voluntary conservatorship, and Ms. Spears can apply to the Court at any time she wishes to terminate the conservatorship of either the person or the estate, or both," Jamie's filing says. "To date, she has not done so."

Jamie concludes by asking the court to seal the conservatorship case as it discloses and relates to Britney's "constitutionally, statutorily and otherwise protected health information, personal information regarding Ms. Spears and her minor children, as well as trade secrets and proprietary information, and the privacy of unrelated third parties."

His filing comes after Britney's lawyer declared the singer wants to be open about the details of her conservatorship and those aspects of her which are not in the public's best interest to know are already sufficiently protected.

"Britney strongly believes it is consistent not only with her personal best interests but also with good public policy generally that the decision to appoint a new conservator of her estate be made in as open and transparent a manner as possible," Ingham's opposition filing said. "[Jamie's motion] is supposedly being brought by her father to 'protect' Britney's interests, but she is adamantly opposed to it."

Additionally, Britney and her attorney argued that confidential financial information in the case is "already protected" and "there are no medical issues at all in a conservatorship of the estate, nor are her children [sons Jayden, 13, and Preston, 14] involved in any way."

A hearing for Spears' voluntary conservatorship request is scheduled for Nov. 10.

Full Article & Source:
Britney Spears' Father Jamie Opposes Her Request to Open Conservatorship Case to the Public

See Also:
Britney Spears

Woman Arrested Twice In A Month, Accused Of Stealing From Elderly Couple

By: Kristen Weaver

Click to Watch Video

TULSA, Okla. - A woman is back in jail Friday for the second time in a month, once again accused of embezzlement.

This time, the victims are a couple in their 90's on hospice.

An affidavit said Ashley Brown owns Golden Care Home Health and had a five-month contract to take care of an elderly couple on Hospice in 2018.

It said after the contract was over, the couple's children found out money was missing from their parents' accounts.

Investigators said Brown stole more than $26,000 total from the couple and spent it on things like car payments, cell phone bills for her friends, furniture, and computers.

Brown was charged with two counts of elderly exploitation and identity fraud.

"It's upsetting, it really is," said Tashina Johnson.

Johnson worked for Brown at Golden Care and said many of her elderly clients were dealing with the same thing.

"Meds were not being paid, electricity was being cut off," she said.

Johnson's sister Melissa Purcell also worked at Golden Care.

Both Purcell and Johnson said Brown took advantage of employees, too. They said checks from Brown would bounce and said for two weeks they were forced to work without pay.

"It makes a lot of us so angry, especially for our clients who cannot speak for themselves," Purcell said.

We reported on Brown just a few weeks ago, when the attorney general's office charged her with embezzling more than $15,000 from employees at a different health care company where she was in charge of payroll, before she started Golden Care.

"We hope to see justice, especially for the clients," said Purcell.

Brown is in the Tulsa County jail Friday night for the new charges in Creek County. Her Tulsa County charges are still pending.

We tried calling Brown's business but haven't heard back and we couldn't find an attorney listed for her.

Full Article & Source:
Woman Arrested Twice In A Month, Accused Of Stealing From Elderly Couple

Help Against Nursing Home Abuse: Things You Should Know

by Andrea Williams

Each year, nursing home abuse leaves many seniors physically harmed, financially ruined, and emotionally traumatized. Often, the culprits are the staff members or the residents tasked to keep them healthy and happy.

To protect your loved ones in nursing homes, you must regularly check on them and report any warning signs of abuse. It is also essential to seek the help of competent personal injury attorneys once you have solid proof of abuse.

Nursing Home Abuse

Any form of harm that is inflicted on elderly residents in long-term care facilities, including sexual assault, financial exploitation, and physical or emotional abuse is commonly referred to as nursing home abuse.

Unfortunately, an elderly loved one may not even realize they are being neglected or abused, and they can take action and assert their legal rights. Often, adult family members will take on the task.

What You Need to Know When Getting Help

If you are taking steps to protect your loved one, it is ideal that you know what to expect when working with a personal injury attorney. Below are some of the possible steps you and your chosen lawyer will undertake.

Investigate the claims

In many cases, the nursing home and the insurance company might deny their staff or any of their employees did anything wrong. This means you need to prove their liability so you can obtain the compensation your loved one deserves.

Your lawyer will also gather the needed evidence to start building the case. This process can include:

Interviewing witnesses

Your lawyer will interview the victim of the neglect or abuse to gather information needed for the case. Friends or family members who have witnessed the abuse or have observed physical or psychological changes will also be interviewed.

Interviewing former employees

Former employees who witnessed the abuse inflicted upon your loved ones can provide a wealth of information that can help the case. Aside from that, they might also provide information about how residents are treated or the standard practices in the nursing home.

Reviewing records

Your lawyer will most likely request a copy of the inspections or survey reports that may provide evidence of violations of state or federal regulations regarding resident care. Reports of any abuse by physicians or nurses may also be considered to determine if they did not provide the standard of care that applies to the victim's situation.

Your lawyer might also look for valuable information on the procedural manuals that pertain to the care of nursing home residents.

Checking medical and other records

Depending on the type of neglect and abuse, your lawyer might also obtain the victim's medical record to prove if there were medical errors made. Most likely, your lawyer will also check if medical conditions were left untreated or sufficient nutrition or hydration was not provided.

If other forms of abuse are suspected, your lawyer might request additional documents such as financial records to see if any money was stolen from your loved one.

Negotiating with the Nursing Home

Once your attorney has completed the initial investigation, he will assist in filing an administrative case against the nursing home. Most likely, he'll also send a demand letter outlining the neglect or abuse your loved one experienced.

Your lawyer may also enter into negotiations with the nursing home and the insurance company. Whether the claim is settled or not will depend on many factors, including the evidence the lawyer uncovered, the insurance adjuster's willingness to settle the claim, and how strong the case is against the nursing home.

Conclusion

Suppose the statute of limitations is about to expire, or the settlement negotiations are not productive, your lawyer will likely file a lawsuit against the liable staff members and the nursing home.

During the litigation process, your lawyer will continue to collect evidence, prepare for trial, and attempt to settle the case when he believes negotiations are more fruitful.

Full Article & Source:
Help Against Nursing Home Abuse: Things You Should Know

Maul & Gill Receive 2 Year Probation, $40,000 Immediate Restitution In Plea On Financial Exploitation Case

By Benjamin Cox

An elderly financial exploitation case has come to a conclusion in Morgan County Court this morning. 64 year old Joyce Gill and her daughter 39 year old Jewell Maul made a plea agreement with the state for theft over $10,000 and not exceeding $100,000 as immediate administrators to the finances of then-88 year old Norma Notson. Notson is the aunt of Gill’s husband Robert Gill, who is currently serving time in prison in the 2015 shooting death of Maul’s ex-husband Andrew Maul. Notson passed away in 2018, and her estate is currently being executed by 4 individuals.

Special Appellate Prosecutor Matthew Goetten had to substitute new counsel for the state because he is away for active military duty. Morgan County Special Prosecutor Brian Towne served in Goetten’s place before Circuit Judge John M. Madonia this morning in Morgan County Court.

Towne says that the executors of Notson’s estate wanted the case to come to an end: “Judge [Madonia] did in fact accept a negotiated plea arrangement with regard to each of the defendants. It’s very important to our office that our victims be made whole and that they are happy with any kind of resolution. In this particular case, the restitution was very sizable. It was approximately $40,000 and in many of our cases, it seems as though we are chasing the money for our victims for years sometimes. There was considerable attention brought to the fact that these defendants did pay the full $40,000 in restitution today, so the victims were very supportive. They wanted to put this behind them. They still mourn the loss of their aunt and their loved one, and they didn’t want to receive a $25 check in the mail every month for the next untold number of years. The victims really do want this to be behind them, and so they were very supportive and actually wanted this negotiation to happen.”

The case had gone through a lengthy cycle of motions based around an oral plea agreement made by Robert Gill during the Andrew Maul murder trial conclusion, which made between Special Prosecutor Ed Parkinson and Robert Gill’s attorney W. Scott Hanken. The motion was that the 2 women could not face prosecution for crimes regarding Notson’s finances. The women are accused of taking over $39,000 from Notson’s personal bank accounts. The motions to dismiss the case were denied back in February and proceedings were allowed to continue with motions to sever Jewell Maul and Joyce Gill’s cases from each other accepted in July. The cases were set for status today.
Towne says the sentence of 2 years second chance probation in the plea agreement for each of the women along with the sizable restitution has several conditions to be met: “It will be a very intensive probation. Probation officers doing their duty will search the house at times. The [defendants] will submit to random drug testing, and they won’t be able to commit any other crimes. Otherwise, we will be revisiting a sentencing in this matter. There lives will become complicated for the next couple of years.”

The two women had faced up to 4-15 years in prison plus restitution, seizure of assets, and up to a $25,000 fine had the cases went to trial and they were found guilty. If either of the women allegedly violate their probation over the next two years, they could possibly face 3 to 7 years in prison, up to a $25,000 fine, plus original fees and court costs if the sentencing is reheard should they violate probation in any way.

Full Article & Source:
Maul & Gill Receive 2 Year Probation, $40,000 Immediate Restitution In Plea On Financial Exploitation Case

See Also:
Affidavits to be filed in exploitation cases

Man who pleaded guilty in deadly shooting now accused with wife, daughter of elderly exploitation

Financial Exploitation Case Will Hear Plea Agreement Testimony

Trial set for ex-judge charged with ethics violations

ATHENS, Ala. (AP) — A former Alabama judge indicted on charges of using his office for personal gain will go on trial Nov. 16.

In setting a trial date for former Limestone County Judge Douglas Lee Patterson, a court said the calendar was “firm.”

Patterson was indicted last year on charges of using his position for personal gain, financial exploitation of the elderly and third-degree theft. He was accused of using his position as a district judge to steal $47,000 from a juvenile court fund. He was also accused of stealing from clients before he became a judge.

Patterson resigned in July but said his departure wasn’t an admission of guilt.

Full Article & Source:
Trial set for ex-judge charged with ethics violations

Types of Abuse: Safeguarding the Elderly

Sadly, some of our most vulnerable citizens are routinely subjected to unconscionable treatment by those entrusted with their care. In many cases, physical or mental limitations prevent these elderly victims from effectively communicating what’s happening to them. 

Sometimes, there are signs that suggest something is wrong. If your loved one is or has been the victim of mistreatment by a caregiver, his or her enjoyment of life—if not life itself—may depend on your ability to recognize those signs and take action. And if there has been abuse, an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer can help you obtain compensation for the injuries, pain and suffering, and other needless losses endured by your loved one.

Nursing home abuse can take many forms

Nursing home abuse encompasses physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and financial exploitation inflicted upon elderly residents in long-term care facilities:

• Physical nursing home abuse includes any type of harm or violence that significantly injures an elderly person: 
  • Failing to treat health conditions such as bedsores, which are painful and, if left untreated, can lead to infection and even death
  • Improper administration of medications
  • Scratching, slapping, hitting, or punching
  • Kicking
  • Pushing or Shoving, and/or
  • Applying improper restraints

• Emotional abuse, or elder psychological abuse, occurs when another resident or staff member undermines a resident’s self-esteem or mental well-being:
  • Blaming or scapegoating the victim;
  • Demeaning, ridiculing, or humiliating the victim;
  • Ignoring the victim’s needs;
  • Terrorizing the victim;
  • Threatening, intimidating, or behaving menacingly toward the victim; and/or
  • Screaming or yelling at the victim.

• Sexual assault includes unwelcome advances by staff or other residents.
• Financial exploitation is typically perpetrated by a trusted caregiver with access to the victim’s financial documents, checks, and other sources of personal information enabling improper transactions.

Nursing home abuse can be committed by a nursing home staff member or by another resident. However, because of the victim’s dependence upon caregivers, he or she may be afraid to do or say anything about abuse inflicted by a caregiver. 

Be aware of the signs of physical abuse

There are both physical and emotional signs that may point to physical nursing home abuse as well as elder abuse by relatives and other caretakers. Here are some physical signs to look for:

• Broken or missing teeth;
• Broken bones;
• Bruises;
• Burns;
• Dislocated joints;
• Hair loss; and/or
• Sprains.

Sometimes, nursing home staff members fail to adequately explain a resident’s injuries. In a 2018 Colorado case, an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s sustained broken bones, and deep cuts to her head and arm. The staff told her family that she had scratched herself with a coat hanger. According to a subsequent police investigation, the resident had been beaten by a caregiver with a prior felony conviction. The caregiver received a 12-year prison sentence.

• Don’t overlook emotional symptoms of physical abuse

A person being abused by a caregiver or another nursing home resident may be traumatized. He or she may exhibit signs of emotional distress as a result of the physical abuse, including withdrawal from social activities, and strained relationships with caregivers. Other clues may be the elder’s hesitation to explain how an injury occurred, or changing stories concerning what caused the injury.

• If you believe your loved one has been physically abused, seek medical treatment immediately!

As people age, their skin and bones become frailer. Without prompt treatment, a simple injury can develop life-threatening complications. It’s therefore important to seek immediate medical attention for any injuries your loved one has suffered.

Especially if you suspect ongoing abuse, it’s imperative that your loved one be removed from the facility in which the abuse is occurring. Even if the abuse occurred on just one occasion, your loved one may be subject to retaliation once the abuse has been discovered or reported.

Changes in your loved one’s behavior or demeanor may indicate emotional abuse

Certain behaviors suggest that emotional abuse may have occurred, or is ongoing:

• Avoiding eye contact;
• Attempting self-harm;
• Attempting to hurt others;
• Showing low self-esteem;
• Appearing depressed or withdrawn;
• Experiencing acute mood swings; and/or
• Changing eating or sleeping patterns.

If you suspect that your loved one is being subjected to emotional abuse, ask him or her about it. If you’re still suspicious that abuse is occurring, that should be reported to Adult Protective Services or a similar authority. A caseworker should investigate to determine whether your loved one has been emotionally abused.

If your loved one has been emotionally abused in a nursing home or an assisted care facility, he or she should be relocated to a safer, non-threatening environment. Options could include another nursing facility or home with family members. An adult daycare facility could then assist with your loved one’s care.

Visit often, be observant, and be proactive.

The key to safeguarding nursing home residents and other elders from the scourge of abuse is to visit often, look for signs that something may be wrong, and act immediately upon any suspicion of mistreatment. If your loved one has suffered from nursing home or elder abuse, contact a nursing home abuse lawyer to find out what remedies are available to you and your loved one.  

Full Article & Source:
Types of Abuse: Safeguarding the Elderly