Princeton Negligence Attorneys
Elder Abuse
Senior citizens are among the most vulnerable citizens in New Jersey. Residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities may lack the social networks, mental capacity, and emotional stamina to deal with crimes like physical and emotional abuse, financial abuse, or neglect. To that end, both state and Federal law lay out harsh punishments for individuals convicted of abusing or neglecting elderly citizens. Whether you are a nursing home professional implicated in a patient injury or death; or you are an entrepreneur who stands accused of bilking several elderly residents out of their retirement money by engaging them in a real estate con game, you want detailed and compassionate help constructing your defense.
Kinds of Elder Abuse
- Neglect
A live-in nurse assigned to attend to an elderly diabetic man leaves the home for the night without telling anyone. Without the nurse there to give him his medications, he suffers a severe diabetic episode and must be rushed to the hospital. The nurse did not specifically deny the medication but did so indirectly, intentionally or not, by simply not being present to attend to him. - Physical Abuse
Assume a similar situation as above, a live-in nurse attending to an elderly diabetic man but refuses to prepare food for him, even though he is, for one reason or another, incapable of preparing and feeding himself. The difference here is that the nurse willfully refused to feed the man, knowing he would go hungry as a result. - Emotional Abuse
A nurse at a nursing home gets "angry" at one of her charges and refuses to let him out of his room to see friends or to welcome visiting family members. Other forms of emotional abuse might be demeaning or insulting residents or intentionally embarrassing them in front of other residents. - Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse relates to charges of molesting or touching an elder in an unwanted way. Even in cases where some form of consent may have existed, the mental or emotional state of the accuser at the time of the incident may be brought into consideration and used against you.
Serious Charges, Many "Moving Parts" to Your Defense
Whether you caused injury to an elder or simply threatened to cause injury; whether you have a criminal history or not; whether you intended to hurt the senior or did it by accident -- these and dozens of other factors bear on the charges that you will potentially face. If convicted of elder abuse, neglect, or another crime, you could be sent to jail, compelled to pay massive fines and restitution costs, and face permanent damage to your professional and personal relationships.
You need a compassionate, experienced domestic violence defense attorney who will listen to your side and give you straight, honest advice about how to build your defense and get the help you need. Call the professional criminal defense lawyers Lependorf & Silverstein at 609-240-0040. Your first consultation with the firm will be free, no obligation, and totally confidential. Get the real, actionable advice to relieve your stress and approach your situation effectively.