Just two regions, Anchorage Municipality and Fairbanks North Star borough, account for half of all elder abuse in Alaska.

Here is a list of things that you can do, to protect the elderly from a slip and fall within a nursing home:

1. Watch out for wet floors – It’s no surprise that wet floors can cause someone to slip or fall. We have all slipped at one point in our life from the ground being wet.  Nursing homes are required to maintain their facility and watch out for areas that may be wet.  If you identify an area in a nursing home where the ground is wet, alert the nursing staff immediately.
2. Loose carpet – From time to time, you may walk into a grocery store and trip over a mat placed near the front of company’s door.  The mat, though placed there for you to wipe your feet, may not be securely placed on the ground, which consequently creates a hazard to patrons entering the store.  Again, notify proper staff immediately, if you find an area at the nursing home where the carpet or flooring may cause an elderly person to slip and fall.

<h2>Reporting Slip and Falls</h2>

The first step to report slip and falls is actually to visit the hospital.  You want to make sure that your loved one is taken care of properly and that there are no internal damages (in addition to external cuts, bruises and/or lacerations).

Next, be sure to document as much information as possible about the incident.  Items to include in your notes include the names of the nursing home staff at the time of the accident and the exact location of the incident.  If you can, take pictures of the area for documentation purposes.

Finally, if the slip and fall resulted in serious injury or even wrongful death, you may want to consider hiring an nursing home abuse attorney.

While it may be difficult attribute a wrongful death to a particular incident (or incidents) at a nursing home that involves abuse or neglect, there are a handful of ways that loved ones can do to help prevent these deaths from occurring.

Preventing wrongful deaths

The first step to prevent wrongful death is to listen to your loved one. Are they trying to tell you that something is wrong? Listen to how they are speaking to you and the words that he/she is using (or not using). Are they reluctant to tell you how a particular nurse or caretaker is? Do they become angry easily or avoid social interaction?

Another step is to interview the nursing staff. Do staff members actually care to communicate? If they are short, or moody with you in any way, they may be a potential problem for your loved one.

Finally, unscheduled night visits. Often times, unscheduled night visits will place the nursing staff on high alert to be on their best behavior. By visiting the nursing home at night, you have the opportunity to identify whether or not the nursing home is adequately staffed.

How to Report Wrongful Deaths

If you suspect that your loved one way be a wrongful death victim, report it immediately to the proper authorities. Document as much information as possible. From the names of the nurses who were responsible for caring for your loved one, to names of any witnesses who may have witness any sort of crime that may have occurred.  Click here to report elder abuse in your state.

To report elder abuse in Mississippi:

• Mississippi Nursing Home Elder Abuse
  • In-State: (800) 222-8000
  • Out of State: (601) 359-4991
• Domestic/Community Elder Abuse
  • In-State: (800) 222-8000
  • Out of State: (601) 359-4991

In Mississippi, elder abuse is the willful infliction of injury, intimidation or punishment that either leads to, or results in harm, both mentally and physically.

Possible Signs of Elder Abuse

There are different forms of elder abuse. The most common categories are physical, emotional, sexual and financial. Neglect and self-neglect is also a form of elder abuse.

Exploitation:

• Is there unexplainable bank account or credit card transactions?
• Is the elderly person's belongings, such as sunglasses or jewelry, constantly missing or "lost"?
• Is there someone new in the elderly person's life? If so, is that person only interested in the elderly person's finances?

Neglect and Self-Neglect:

• Does he/she person appear to be malnourished or dehydrated?
• Does he/she have pressure or bed sores?
• Is he/she taking his/her medical prescriptions?
• Is he/she always isolated from the rest of society?

Physical Abuse:

• Does the elderly person have unexplainable or poor reasoning for bruises, cuts and broken or fractured bones?
• Is he/she always angry or fearful of other people or a particular person?

Emotional Abuse:

• Is the elderly person always depressed?
• Is he/she constantly suffering from anxiety?

Sexual Abuse:

• Does he/she have cuts, bruises or pain around the genital area?

To report elder abuse in Wyoming:

• Wyoming Nursing Home Elder Abuse – (800) 457-3659
• Domestic/Community Elder Abuse
  • In-State: (800) 457-3659
  • Out of State: (307) 777-3602

Wyoming’s Adult Protective Services was established to ensure that the safety of the state’s elderly population is safe and that its basic needs are met. If you suspect any forms of elder abuse in Wyoming, contact one of the numbers listed above or local law enforcement immediately.

What is Elder Abuse?

There are multiple categories of elder abuse including abandonment, physical or psychological abuse, exploitation, neglect and self-neglect. The following list will help you identify possible cases of abuse:

Exploitation:  This is the improper use of an elderly person’s money or property. Report any unauthorized use of the elder’s money, credit cards or checks. Additionally, be on the lookout for any unauthorized transfers of personal property including real estate.

Neglect:   Neglect occurs when a caregiver fails to provide adequate support to an elderly person to fulfill the elderly person’s basic needs. Basic needs include food, water, shelter and medicine.

Self-Neglect:   The elderly person fails to provide adequate care for himself or herself.

Physical Abuse:   Physical abuse occurs when a person intentionally harms an elderly person. Physical abuse can be a result of actions such as a hit, slap, punch, kick or burn.

Emotional Abuse:  This form of abuse occurs when a person intentionally ignores, shouts, threatens or intimidates an elderly person.

Abandonment:  Abandonment occurs when an individual leaves an elderly person without proper financial support or means for the elder to obtain food, shelter or medicine.

Physical Abuse  is harm inflicted on an elderly person by:

• Punching
• Kicking
• Biting
• Choking
• Hitting
• Shaking
• Throwing

Neglect  occurs when a caregiver fails to provide for an elderly person’s basic needs. Common signs of neglect are:

• Poor hygiene / always dirty
• Lacks adequate medical or dental care
• Poor diet or lack of food

Financial Exploitation  occurs when a person uses an elderly person’s money or property for personal of financial gain. Common signs of financial abuse include:

• Unusual account activity
• Unauthorized use of credit cards or checks
• Forged signatures
• Missing personal property

To report elder abuse in Wisconsin:

• Wisconsin Nursing Home Elder Abuse
  • In-State: (800) 815-0015
  • Out of State: (608) 246-7013
• Domestic/Community Elder Abuse  – (608) 266-2536

Wisconsin’s elder population is growing.  Unfortunately, as the population continues to grow, so do the number of elder abuse cases.  Even more concerning is that many of those cases will never be reported.  Elderly victims are often too afraid to report abuse or simply do not know that they are being abused.

If you spot any signs of abuse, report it immediately to the numbers listed above.

Spot Warning Signs of Elder Abuse and Neglect

Physical Abuse  is harm inflicted on an elderly person by:

• Punching
• Kicking
• Biting
• Choking
• Hitting
• Shaking
• Throwing

Neglect  occurs when a caregiver fails to provide for an elderly person’s basic needs.  Common signs of neglect are:

• Poor hygiene / always dirty
• Lacks adequate medical or dental care
• Poor diet or lack of food

Financial Exploitation  occurs when a person uses an elderly person’s money or property for personal of financial gain.  Common signs of financial abuse include:

• Unusual account activity
• Unauthorized use of credit cards or checks
• Forged signatures
• Missing personal property

To report elder abuse in West Virginia:

• West Virginia Nursing Home Elder Abuse – (800) 352-6513
• Domestic/Community Elder Abuse – (800) 352-6513

As West Virginia’s elderly population continues to grow, the number of cases of elder abuse will rise along with it. Unfortunately, most of those cases will go unreported as the elderly victims are commonly afraid to report abuse, or are simply unaware that abuse is occurring.

If you have any suspicions of elder abuse in West Virginia, report it immediately to local authorities.

How to Spot Signs of Elder Abuse

Physical abuse   is the willful infliction of harm on an elderly person. Physical abuse includes shoving, biting, punching and kicking. Physical abuse also includes the inappropriate use of drugs (overdose) and restraints.

Emotional abuse   occurs when a person causes an elderly person to experience mental pain or distress. Yelling, threatening, humiliating and ignoring are common forms of emotional and psychological abuse.

Neglect   occurs when a caregiver fails to provide adequate care for an elderly person. Neglect can be intentional or unintentional. Common signs of neglect include malnutrition, dehydration and/or poor personal hygiene.

Financial Abuse and Exploitation   occurs when an individual improperly uses an elderly person’s money for personal profit or gain. Additionally exploitation occurs when an individual steals an elderly person’s cash or personal property.