ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
20,000 Complaints Of Sexual Abuse Over Past 20 Years
Female Residents And Dementia Patients At Higher Risk
1000 Nursing Homes Cited For Sexual Abuse In Last 3 Years
Sexual assault and rape are real and growing horror in America’s nursing homes and elder care facilities. Statistics show that incidents of sexual abuse, assault and rape are up. Since much elder abuse, including sexual elder abuse, goes unreported, incidents of sexual assault and rape are probably greater than we know. The elder and nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm. Inc. represent victims of sexual assault or other abuse in nursing homes, and pursue all persons responsible, including owners, administrators and managers. Call us today at (415)441-8669 if any senior loved one has suffered any kind of elder abuse here in San Francisco or elsewhere in California.
Four Important Facts About Sexual Assault In Nursing Homes
Anyone with a loved one in a nursing home or about to make a decision regarding admitting a senior to a home should be aware of these four important statistics:
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- While reported sexual abuse is still fairly rare (1.9% of nursing home residents report sexual abuse), much abuse goes underreported. This can be due to the social stigma around sexual assault, or fear of retribution by the perpetrator. Also, residents with mental or physical disabilities may not be able to recount their experience and tell the authorities.
- There have been over 20,000 complaints of sexual abuse in nursing homes over the past 20 years, according to the Administration for Community Living. That means that every day, about three people in nursing homes are sexually abused.
- Female residents and dementia patients run a higher risk of sexual abuse. In general, women have a higher risk of sexual abuse than men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 5 women have been either raped or suffered an attempted rape, compared to 1 out of 38 men. Residents with mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s are also at a high risk of sexual abuse because of their impaired memory and communication skills.
- Over 1000 nursing homes in the United States have been cited for sexual abuse over a recent three-year period. A 2017 CNN report found that nearly 100 of these facilities received multiple citations. Over 500 of the facilities were also cited for failing to investigate and report allegations of sexual abuse, or for not screening employees for past sex crimes.
Protecting Loved Ones From Sexual Abuse
If you have a loved one who is about to enter a home, check the facility out on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website and the California Department of Public Health website. If there have been citations of abuse against the facility, you can read the citations and find out what was alleged. If your loved one is already a nursing home resident, consider an in-room surveillance camera. Surveillance cameras in a senior’s room are permitted under California law. If suspect any kind of elder abuse of a loved one, including sexual abuse, call the elder abuse litigators at Evans Law Firm immediately.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm elder attorneys represent California seniors every day who have been victims of elder abuse including abuse and neglect or sexual abuse in nursing homes. Call Ingrid and our other elder abuse attorneys at once if you suspect something is wrong. You can reach us at (415) 441-8669, or email us at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>.
