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Blog 
Nursing Home Abuse
- Is the multistate nursing compact putting our Virginia elders at risk?
- Virginia nursing home supervisor refuses to take blame for abuse
- Beware sweet-talking financial abusers targeting elders in Virginia
- Eye Opening Facts about Virginia Elder Abuse & Neglect
- Questions for suspected cases of Virginia elder abuse / neglect
Firm News
Virginia Nursing Home Administrator embroiled in abuse complaints
Posted on 7/31/2010
More elder abuse scams target vulnerable Virginia citizens
Posted on 7/31/2010
This Memorial Day, Focus on Abuse of Veterans in Nursing Homes
Posted on 5/31/2010
Virginia Beach nursing home with violations will retain govn’t funding
Posted on 4/29/2010
Virginia Beach nursing home may lose Medicare and Medicaid funding
Posted on 3/31/2010
Jury awards senior $7.75 million in nursing home abuse lawsuit
Posted on 2/27/2010
Kickbacks lead to nursing home residents being prescribed drugs
Posted on 1/29/2010
Virginia Beach nurse implicated in nursing home identity theft
Posted on 1/29/2010
Cases of nursing home abuse and neglect may go up over the holiday season
Posted on 11/30/2009
Senators pushing back against DEA narcotics crackdown affecting nursing home residents
Posted on 10/31/2009
Firm Library
Nursing Home Abuse
- Suspect financial elder abuse? Your local Virginia bank teller could be an unexpected ally
- Nursing home abuse and neglect in Virginia – a bigger problem than anyone realizes
- Virginia Elder Abuse: It Can Happen Anywhere
- Fighting for the Rights of Nursing Home Residents: the Healthcare Bill Targets Elder Abuse
- Mandatory Reporting of Virginia Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
Prosecution pitfalls in Virginia nursing home abuse & neglect cases
Unfortunately for victims of elder abuse or neglect in Virginia, many crimes in nursing homes or assisted living facilities go unreported. Even if they are reported, for a variety of reasons many elder crimes are never prosecuted.
Elder abuse victim silence
What makes elder abuse and neglect cases so difficult to prosecute? There are a variety of reasons, many stemming from the mental and emotional state of the victim. It is a sad fact that many nursing home residents have impaired cognitive abilities, and are either unable or unwilling to discuss crimes against themselves with facility staff or police.
If a victim is unwilling or unable to speak up, it is very difficult for police to pursue abuse or neglect crimes. Sometimes it takes the advocacy of determined family members to push for charges in an abuse case, especially if it involves embarrassing or humiliating circumstances such as sexual abuse or financial abuse.
Even if the family of a nursing home abuse victim is eager to pursue charges in an elder abuse or neglect case, there are other pitfalls awaiting such cases. Residents may ruin their own chances at justice by waiting to report that a crime was committed until they see their family or friends, by which time much of the evidence against their attacker is gone.
Nursing home staff and police problems
Sometimes nursing home staff members are part of the problem, either consciously or by accident. Staff members may try to hide evidence that a crime was committed, fearing for their jobs. Other times facility staff members clean up after an abuse or neglect incident, unwittingly destroying evidence.
Police and investigators are sometimes to blame for the failure of an elder abuse or neglect case to move forward. When faced with one of the above roadblocks, officers may decide that the case is too fraught with issues to pursue. Alternately, some law enforcement officers decide that a mentally ill or elderly attacker is better off in the nursing home than in prison. Officers have even rationalized that mentally ill perpetrators had no ill intent when they committed a crime against a fellow resident, and just need to continue to receive treatment at the facility.
Legal help for elder abuse victims and their families
Despite these pitfalls and roadblocks, it is possible to successfully prosecute cases of nursing home and assisted living abuse and neglect. You can greatly improve your chances of success in such a case if you act early and act quickly, hiring an experienced, knowledgeable elder abuse & neglect lawyer. Let the skilled personal injury attorneys at Weisberg & Zaleski help you defend your loved one’s rights. Contact their Norfolk office today for a discrete, no obligation review of your situation.
Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
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Michael S. Weisberg, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
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