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Monday, October 12, 2009
Elders Being Attacked by Violent Felons in Nursing Homes
Though it's not new, there is a little known but very disturbing trend taking place in our nation's nursing homes: the housing of criminally insane, violent felons in nursing homes right alongside frail, helpless elderly people who cannot defend themselves against these violent criminals.
During the last year and a half, Illinois nursing homes have reported the following incidents:
A senior citizen is raped in her room by a 21-year-old convict housed for acute psychiatric problems
An elderly man confined to a wheelchair dies after being beaten about the head with a baseball bat by a 24-year-old mentally ill prostitute/drug addict
A man’s throat is slashed by a gang member who had allegedly attacked the elderly man the year before in the same facility
Illinois, more than any of the other states, houses mentally ill patients in nursing homes, but these younger, often-violent residents are not being monitored closely enough, and the senior citizens who reside in these homes are just not safe.
In Illinois, approximately 15% of the state’s total nursing home population is comprised of mentally ill patients. Of the 92,225 nursing home residents on record, the number of residents who have been convicted of violent crimes is 3,000, of which 82 are murderers, 179 are sex offenders, and 185 are armed robbers.
An investigation conducted by staff at the Chicago Tribune indicates that the nursing homes with the highest number of convicted felons are also the homes with the lowest nursing staff levels.
As our country’s elderly population continues to grow, more and more of those who can afford it are choosing home health care or assisted-living options over traditional nursing homes. It's bad enough to have to put your loved one in a nursing home; no one would ever think you were putting your loved into close proximity to a murderer or rapist.
If your elderly loved one has suffered abuse and/or neglect in a nursing home, please contact the experienced legal team at The Cochran Firm today. With offices nationwide, we surely have a location near you.
During the last year and a half, Illinois nursing homes have reported the following incidents:
A senior citizen is raped in her room by a 21-year-old convict housed for acute psychiatric problems
An elderly man confined to a wheelchair dies after being beaten about the head with a baseball bat by a 24-year-old mentally ill prostitute/drug addict
A man’s throat is slashed by a gang member who had allegedly attacked the elderly man the year before in the same facility
Illinois, more than any of the other states, houses mentally ill patients in nursing homes, but these younger, often-violent residents are not being monitored closely enough, and the senior citizens who reside in these homes are just not safe.
In Illinois, approximately 15% of the state’s total nursing home population is comprised of mentally ill patients. Of the 92,225 nursing home residents on record, the number of residents who have been convicted of violent crimes is 3,000, of which 82 are murderers, 179 are sex offenders, and 185 are armed robbers.
An investigation conducted by staff at the Chicago Tribune indicates that the nursing homes with the highest number of convicted felons are also the homes with the lowest nursing staff levels.
As our country’s elderly population continues to grow, more and more of those who can afford it are choosing home health care or assisted-living options over traditional nursing homes. It's bad enough to have to put your loved one in a nursing home; no one would ever think you were putting your loved into close proximity to a murderer or rapist.
If your elderly loved one has suffered abuse and/or neglect in a nursing home, please contact the experienced legal team at The Cochran Firm today. With offices nationwide, we surely have a location near you.
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posted by Benjamin A. Irwin at 7:36 AM
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