In Florida, high heat in the summer can mean safety issues. In the summer, most emergency rooms see a rise in water and heat-related injuries, and an increase in outdoor accidents. In many cases, these common Florida problems can easily be avoided. On hot days, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and…
Elderly abuse is caused by number of factors, but one of the most common factors has to do with caretakers who are unable or unwilling to take care of an elderly love one. Even in families where there’s a lot of love and caring, the burden of suddenly having to…
Research has consistently proven that substance abuse is often a very significant contributing factor to elder abuse. Whether it is the victim or the perpetrator with a substance-abuse problem, addictions can definitely lead to elder abuse. Researchers, for example, have shown that people who have substance-abuse problems may target elder…
In many cases, Florida elder abuse is caused by caregivers. In some cases, stress or other problems cause a caregiver to not provide the level of care and elder person may require. There are fortunately many things that families and caregivers alike can do to help reduce elder abuse from…
When people think of elder abuse, they often assume that it is always something that is perpetrated by someone else. They assume that elder abuse always has a clear perpetrator and a clear victim. This is not always the case. In fact, some cases of abuse stem from self-neglect. The…
As our population ages, and as more people live longer, elder abuse has become a true problem. It is estimated to that for every case of elder abuse and neglect which is reported to the authorities, there may be as many as five cases or more which remain unreported and…
All 50 states have laws to prevent elder abuse and all have adult protective services (APS) agencies to look into reports of suspected elder abuse. Despite this, however, elder abuse seems to be on the rise in Florida and in other states. A 2004 Survey of State Adult Protective Services…
Under Florida Law, anyone who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, that an elderly person or other vulnerable adult is a victim of exploitation, abuse, or neglect, is required to immediately report the suspicion or knowledge. The Florida Abuse Hotline has a toll free telephone number, 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873) and…
Florida’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program has a website aimed at helping elders get high-quality care. The need for the program and website stems from the fact that the elderly at a number of care facilities in Florida and across the country are subject to nursing home and elder abuse. Elderly…