One day, you will be an elderly person, you hope. Maybe you are already there. Or, your parents are.
And, unfortunately, as more of us age, there is more and more cases of elder abuse, and in order to stop it, we must first spot it and understand the totality of the problem.
Physical abuse is obvious. Signs of physical abuse include bruises, broken bones, and scrapes, often resulting from sexual abuse, hitting, pushing, and restraining.
Physical abuse also includes dispensing medicine that affects a person’s ability or desire to function properly. For example, administering additional pain or sleeping medication may lead an elder to be bedridden when they would otherwise be active and mobile.
Emotional abuse takes a heavy toll on a victim, but especially the extra vulnerable, such as seniors. Emotional abuse includes insults, threats, and screaming. It can also include isolating someone from others, interfering with their access to friends and family members. These behaviors are demeaning and can lead victims to withdraw, become angry, or suffer other types of personality changes.
Financial abuse is most often hidden, and the one that you (and your parents could be most at risk from).
Financial abuse encompasses taking advantage of, as well as stealing from, seniors. And, surprisingly, often occurs when seniors get trapped in a Court system with unscrupulous lawyers, guardians and conservators. You can read story after story of the heinous crimes being committed by our very own court system against our elderly community all over the internet.
You might think it can’t happen to you, or your parents, and yet when you read the actual stories, you begin to realize that it could. Without trusted legal counsel on your side, even the “right documents” sometimes aren’t enough.
If you would like to ensure you have trusted counsel on your side to keep you and your family out of Court and outside of risk of elder abuse from our own Court system, start by having a Family Wealth Planning Session with our office. We’ll look at what you own, who you love, and how to ensure you are more financially organized and empowered than you ever have been before to keep yourself and the people you love out of court and out of conflict.
This article is a service of Bridge Law LLP. We are an award-winning law firm that specializes in business and estate planning for clients like you. The goal for every family is to stay educated on all topics like this, avoid probate, avoid estate taxes, and build a legacy for you and your loved ones. What sets our firm apart is that we build lasting, lifelong relationships with our clients. They rely on us to keep them updated, provide sound legal counsel, and be there for them immediately if any problems should ever arise. The best part is we don’t charge hourly fees to our families, so you never have to worry about speaking to us. If you’re ready to keep your family out of Court, contact us today to schedule an initial consultation or visit our website at www.bridgelawllp.com