Personal Injury Lawyers in New York

Nursing home negligence and abuse among senior citizens has become a growing concern to those dependent on extended health care institutions for the care of their elderly loved ones. As the population in the United States ages, the demands placed on its medical system to care for the elderly have escalated substantially.

At the current time, there are approximately 34 million people over the age of 65 in our country, and nearly one in twenty of these elderly people will require some form of assisted living. Sadly, however, our senior citizens are frequently becoming victims of intentional abuse and neglect in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It is difficult enough to place a loved one in these places, let alone see that loved one suffer under the care of an abusive, overburdened, and under-trained nursing home staff.

The National Center for Elder Abuse reports that neglect of our senior citizens' basic needs is the number one type of elder abuse. Physical abuse by caregivers is number two with a staggering one million senior citizens being abused each year.

Institutional abuse (abuse taking place in nursing homes and assisted living facilities) can come in many forms including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation. General neglect of elders is the most pervasive type of abuse, and typically occurs when the caregiver simply does not care about the elderly person left in their care. Neglect can often lead to health disorders such as dehydration and malnutrition, both of which can be fatal if left untreated.

If you or a loved one has been abused or neglected while in a nursing home or assisted living facility in New York, please contact the Nursing Home Malpractice Law Offices of Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, serving clients in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.