Reporting Elder Abuse in NJ
With a growing elderly population in America, incidents of elder abuse are rising.
As with child abuse, elder abuse can be physical, mental, emotional, verbal, and unlike with child abuse also financial. It can be perpetrated by a family member, a friend, someone in the community, by a doctor, nurse, caregiver, nursing home, or any person who has contact with the elderly person.
Our elders are one of our greatest resources, and the entire community has a responsibility to protect them. If you suspect someone is being hurt, there are a few options:
– If there is a physical threat or an immediate threat of any kind, call 9-1-1.
– You can and should call Adult Protective Services in your area.
– You can help the endangered person to contact an elder law attorney, call 856-227-7888 to speak to one here.
– If the person is incapacitated, you can contact a relative or close friend of the person who you suspect is being abused and inform them of what is going on in addition to the above steps. If you are a relative or close friend, there may be options for you to receive guardianship of that person and/or their property and protect them and their assets against the abuser. This is not an inexpensive or simple process, but worth it if the person you love is being hurt. We can assist you in understanding if this is the best course of action.
– If the person is incapacitated and you don’t know of a relative or friend that can be trusted to care for them, see if you can determine who a responsible caregiver is, such as a doctor or nurse that has cared for them, that you can alert.
– If the abuse is taking place at the hands of a doctor, nurse or nursing home, report it to the authorities and the licensing board of that professional.
Someday, we will all be among this vulnerable population. Let’s make the way safe for them, and for the future us.
If you or someone you know is involved in an abusive situation and need legal assistance, call us at 856-227-7888 or email [email protected] to schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal options.