ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
According to the State Bar of California, one in seven senior citizens across the nation become victims of elder abuse. Sadly, the abuse is usually perpetrated by a family member. There are two major categories of elder abuse, physical elder abuse and financial elder abuse. It doesn’t matter where you live; elder abuse is rising across the country. Oakland elder abuse attorneys warn the public that elder abuse can happen to any senior citizen.
Two kinds of crimes typically cause public outrage more than others. Those crimes are crimes against children and crimes against elders or dependent adults. With physical elder abuse, senior citizens may be neglected, abandoned, or even beaten by caregivers. With financial elder abuse, someone may be stealing from the senior citizen, or trying to trick the senior into signing over their possessions or home. Unfortunately, it is common that family members are the ones who commit financial elder abuse. Typically, incidents will increase slowly until the person committing the elder abuse is caught. Oakland elder abuse attorneys say that keeping an eye on elder family members is important.
In cases where elder abuse is occurring, prosecution can be difficult due to a number of factors. Victims are often isolated and police may not be able to gain access to them. The knowledge that a family member or caregiver is not behaving normally may make senior citizens reluctant to seek out relief. Many victims of elder abuse do not want to prosecute family members because they fear being left in a nursing home with strangers. According to law enforcement officials, many times family members who commit the abuse have drug or alcohol addiction problems. Oakland elder abuse attorneys remind the public that suspected elder abuse can be reported to Adult Protective Services.
Adult Protective Services is there to assist seniors who are in danger. All services provided by Adult Protective Services are voluntary and can be declined by the senior citizen being affected. If you notice a recurring pattern that may be elder abuse, then it warrants an investigation.
Evans Law Firm, Inc. handles elder abuse, financial elder abuse, physical elder abuse, annuity fraud, consumer fraud class actions, insurance and banking fraud cases. If you think that you have witnessed or are the victim of elder abuse, or financial fraud then contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. at 415-441-8669 for a free and confidential consultation, or email us at info@evanslaw.com
