ELDER ABUSE AND NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE CASES
Unfortunately, as people age, they become more vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation. This is especially true for people living in long term care facilities and nursing homes.
According to the Statistics Canada 2001 Census, approximately 287,000 seniors aged 65 and over lived in long- term care facilities, known commonly as nursing homes or retirement homes. While we do not know exact numbers, it is clear that some of these nursing home residents will experience physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and financial abuse.
For example, in 2004, the CTV television program W-5 ran a special called Help Me: Elder Abuse in Canada. This show profiled an 87 year-old woman who had suffered abuse and neglect at long term care facilities in Ontario.
Abuse and neglect results in persons suffering a variety of physical and psychological injuries, which result in pain, suffering, and loss of quality of life. An injured person is entitled to compensation for these losses, when they are caused by the intentional or negligent actions of the nursing home or its employees. The injured person can make a personal injury claim against the nursing home, its employees, or both. Other legal options include pressing criminal charges and filing complaints with professional associations.