The Elder Abuse Act in the US protects elderly people from mistreatment and neglect, including financial exploitation. The laws apply to nursing homes, home care professionals, medical facilities, and family members. Legal representation and specialized attorneys are available to abused elders. Legislation also establishes regulations for how older people should be cared for.
Older people are often dependent and helpless. As a result, they are often mistreated by those who are supposed to care for them. The Elder Abuse Act is legislation designed to protect the elderly and punish those who have been guilty of mistreatment. In the US the issue and the laws are taken very seriously. All states have a body of elder abuse law.
When many people think about elder abuse and elder abuse laws, they think about nursing home issues. While elder abuse laws apply to actions taken in these settings, the laws also cover a wider range. Home care professionals, medical facilities and family members may also be governed by these laws.
One of the issues that elder abuse law seeks to address is neglect. Those who take on the responsibility of caring for an older person are bound by their commitments by law. A person or facility may be liable for negligence if it can be proven that an older person in their care has suffered. In most cases, suffering is not limited to physical pain, although this is obviously included. Even actions can be considered negligent if they involve mental and emotional suffering.
The elder abuse law also commonly deals with financial exploitation. It is generally against the law to take advantage of an elderly person financially. There are many ways people do this. Some people trick or force elders to give them money. Others may make older people sign documents, such as a power of attorney, under false pretenses.
Many governments are working to make legal representation available to older people, despite their financial circumstances. There are often agencies and organizations dedicated to protecting the rights and well-being of older people. There are also attorneys who specialize in elder abuse law. They may serve abused elders or they may serve the families of elders. Cases of elder abuse and the reparations for damages that may result are often not settled until the abused individual’s death.
Elder abuse law is not always about addressing or preventing harmful behavior. In some cases, legislation deals with regulations establishing how older people should be looked after and how the professionals and structures that look after them should behave. An example may be a law requiring caregivers to receive vaccinations for diseases to which older adults are particularly vulnerable.
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