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Elderly Population Expected to Expand, Increasing Risks of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in West Palm Beach and Elsewhere

They’re questions that many of us wonder. What if our loved ones need medical assistance and no one’s there? What if they slip and fall? What if they slip into a fog of dementia? They’re common questions asked about our elderly loved ones. In many cases, thousands of miles separate us from our loved ones. As residents are ready to retire, a number of them make their way to Florida to enjoy some much-deserved time off and retirement. With the lack of supervision, many younger relatives worry about injury in West Palm Beach and elsewhere as a result of old age and deteriorating abilities.

According to FOX News, the number of seniors is quickly growing and many are struggling to care for an ailing loved one from thousands of miles away. For this reason, it’s important to stay well-informed about your elderly loved ones health status. When it’s time to place them into a nursing home or an assisted living center, it’s important to pick one that can adequately care for your family member when you’re not there to do so yourself.

Our West Palm Beach nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys understand that nearly 10 million Americans are long-distance caregivers. Over the next forty years, the number of people over the age of 64 is expected to increase rapidly while the number of people under the age of 21 is expected to remain steady. What this means is that there will be a smaller number of people between the ages of 20- and 64-years-old who will be responsible for looking after the growing elderly population.

“You just want to be in two places at once,” said Kay Branch from Anchorage, Alaska who looks after her parents who live in Lakeland, nearly 4,000 miles away.

Nowadays, a lot of long-distance caregivers are relying on video chats to check in on their loved ones, but you can’t video chat all day every day. When you feel that your loved one is at risk for injuring themselves or for wandering off, it’s important to find them a nursing home that they can feel comfortable at and that they can call home.

Florida Nursing Home Facts:

-Florida is the home of many nursing home residents because of the favorable tax laws for senior citizens.

-In 2006, Florida was ranked as the top state to retire by Money Magazine.

-Florida has the largest senior population in the country.

-Florida has low sales tax, no income tax, tax exemptions for residents and numerous popular communities, making the state quite appealing for seniors.

Families are urged to visit the OurParents website to look at nursing home facilities throughout the state when considering a home for your loved one. You want to make sure that these facilities provide adequate care, have passed health inspections and have a minimal amount of complaints filed. It’s important to choose a home with a positive reputation that both you and your elderly family member approves of.

The nursing home abuse or neglect lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC are dedicated to protecting the elderly residents who call nursing homes in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas home. If you detect abuse of your elderly loved one, call for a free no-obligation appointment at 1-800-561-7777.

More Blog Entries:

Staffing Cuts at Florida Nursing Homes Increase Risk of Nursing Home Neglect in Pompano Beach, Statewide, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, October 24, 2011

Abuse and Neglect a Concern at For-Profit Nursing Homes in Fort Lauderdale, Elsewhere
, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, August 28, 2011

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