Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers: 66% of Elder Abuse Victims are Women, says Older Women’s League
The Older Women’s League’s annual report, “Elder Abuse: A Woman’s Issue” says that of the 500,000 to 5 million seniors that are the victims of serious neglect, abuse or exploitation each year, about 66% of the victims are female—that’s about 3 million elderly women.
Other findings in the report:
• People suffering from dementia are at greater risk of abuse than other elderly victims.
• There are about 5.1 million people in the US older than age 65 that have dementia.
• There are more women than men over 90 with dementia.
• In 2005, 44% of people ages 75 and over suffered from a chronic condition that limited their ability to take part in their usual activities. More women over age 65 reported having this problem.
• According to the Long Term Care Ombudsmen, there were nearly 14,000 allegations of nursing home abuse, exploitation, or gross neglect reported in 2007.
• In 2008, the US General Accountability Office found that 70% of state surveys will accidentally overlook at least one deficiency when evaluating licensed long-term care facilities. 15% may miss a case involving immediate jeopardy and actual harm to a nursing home resident.
OWL considers elder abuse a women’s issue because so many women are among its victims. The older a woman becomes, her physical limitations, communication difficulties, and special needs may make it more difficult for her to escape violence—whether at home or in a US nursing home. Also, of the 800 women 60 years of age and over that took part in a 2006 phone survey, over 50% of them said they had experienced some form of abuse throughout their lives, with many incidents occurring after they turned 55. The abuse incidents appeared to have a long-term impact on the their health.
If you are worried that your mother, wife, sister, or grandmother is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect or caregiver abuse or neglect, it is important that you remove her from the situation immediately. Elder abuse and neglect are health hazards that could cause your loved one’s condition to seriously deteriorate.
Abuse Frequently Against Elderly Women, EGPNews.com
Elder Abuse: A Women's Issue, 2009
Related Web Resources:
H.R. 448: Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009, Govtrack.us
Elder Abuse, Office for Victims of Crime
Contact our Chicago, Illinois nursing home abuse law firm today.
