Minnesota Cracks Down on Elder Abuse

At the beginning of 2017, the state of Minnesota had more than 3,000 cases of elder abuse that had not yet been thoroughly handled. Most of these cases came from allegations that people living within nursing homes had been mistreated. This was a huge problem and needed to be addressed.

 

Today, just a year later, those 3,000 unresolved cases are almost entirely handled. Thanks to a modernized intake system, Minnesota is now able to keep up with serious health and safety concerns such as elder abuse. Even more troubling was the fact that these complaints were increasing in number. By addressing them swiftly, Minnesota hopes that future issues will be avoided as people are punished for this crime and future cases are deterred. The complaints covered all aspects of senior abuse, ranging from financial abuse to neglect, from physical to sexual abuse.

 

The state of Minnesota has taken great strides to improve the life of elderly citizens.

 

It’s too early to tell whether the number of crimes committed against senior citizens in Minnesota will decrease thanks to this effort, but it does show that the state is concerned about the wellbeing of this segment of the population. After many angry family members and friends of those that were impacted contacted the state, it was very apparent that something needed to be done. Hopefully, this effort is both effective and long lasting.

 

Although many states and organizations have adopted modern technology to help improve the lives of the elderly, sometimes that process can be slower. This is not just something that pertains to governments, but also to companies and agencies, too. If reports of abuse are not properly processed, there is much room for something awful to happen. The quicker that these things are discovered and then handled–either internally or by law enforcement officials–the safer our loved ones will be.

 

The safety of your family is one of the most important things in the world. Nobody wants to worry about a loved one being abused or taken advantage of. Just as bad is knowing that something has happened to someone that you love, and then never seeing anything done about it even after filing a complaint and getting in touch with legal authorities.

 

Avoiding senior abuse right from the beginning is the best choice here. Now, no one wants to put their mom or dad in a position where they will be hurt, but sometimes this can be avoided. One of the easiest ways to avoid this is to ensure that the caregivers working with your parent are of strong character and have been vetted. Working with a caregiver service that performs background checks on their employees is the best way to do so. Not all in-home care services do perform these background checks, so when you are first looking for a caregiver, this should be one of the first questions that you ask. This isn’t a guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen, but it does help reduce the possibility that someone who is in this business for the wrong reasons will ever end up in your loved one’s home.

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