The ideal multigenerational family home is, for the most part, a thing of the past.  When an elder family member comes to live because they are unable to be independent, family dynamics change drastically, and often an untenable situation arises.  The health care required for an aging and ailing elder family member may just be too much for the family to manage.  As hard as it is to face, issues of limited space, money, and time need  to be considered. And, as much as the family wants to be supportive and caring, sometimes this type of living arrangement is just not possible.  Deciding to place a loved one in a nursing care facility can be heartbreaking.  Because, while there are plenty of high quality elder care nursing homes and assisted living facilities, there are far too many where elder neglect and abuse are all too common.

There are an excess of appalling stories of elder abuse.  It is tragic for any person to be submitted to cruel and often criminal treatment by those entrusted with his or her care especially at such a vulnerable time in their life.  Often, these elderly patients are too ill to move or are unable to communicate in any way in order to report the abuse they suffer.  These patients are neglected sometimes for days on end.  They lie in filth, hungry, thirsty, or in pain from lack of care.  To worsen the situation, it is not uncommon for the victim to not be believed even if the abuse is reported.  If the report goes directly to the nursing home staff or directors; it is easier for them to ignore the reported abuse than to do something about it.  So, they allow the atrocities to continue.  These people are at best equally guilty or uncaring, and at worst guilty of nursing home negligence.  Unnecessary deaths and accidents are occurring at an alarming rate in nursing homes in this country often due to under skilled staff, who are not qualified for the work or the population.

These events need not continue.  One avenue of defense for elder care patients and their  families is to contact a nursing home lawyer. Advice on elder's rights and protections can be obtained from a website such as Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer.  Since 2002 they have specialized in referring experienced lawyers to help in these kinds of cases.  The law allows for fair compensation for an accident or death that occurs because the nursing home staff is careless or negligent in performing their duties.