Florida is home to the highest number of older adults and has long been a retirement paradise. In fact, senior citizens comprise nearly 20% of the population in Florida. It is also home to the Villages, the world’s largest retirement community with over 160,000 seniors as residents there.
Yet, retiring in Florida isn’t what is used to be. According to a recent AARP report, Florida no longer gets a gold star in terms of the aging services it provides. In fact, it ranks 46th among all states in terms of quality of aging services.
No Gold Star Care for Florida Seniors
The study was conducted by the AARP Foundation, the Scan Foundation, and the Commonwealth Fund. They looked at a variety of aging services and factors, including:
- Affordability and access
- Choice of setting
- Quality of care
- Support for caregivers in the family
- Transition ease
Florida consistently ranked at the bottom in virtually all categories including quality of care and life. In just three years it dropped from 43rd in the country to 46th. This has raised red flags across the state and means that it would take approximately 36 years of work to achieve average performance rankings. States with lower rankings included Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Choosing a Florida Nursing Home
According to the Florida Health Care Association, there are 683 nursing homes in Florida and 3,089 licensed assisted living communities in Florida. These numbers are expected to double by 2026 due to the rising aging population.
Florida families need to consider all of their options when choosing a long-term care facility. However, if Florida nursing homes and senior services aren’t the best, how are families supposed to choose a place for their loved one? When choosing a nursing home in Florida, families should look for the following red flags:
- Residents that look bored or uncared for
- Residents that look injured or bruised
- The facility looks unclean or dirty
- The nursing home smells like urine or feces
- The employees are loud and talking to themselves and not residents
- The residents are crying or sad
- Signs of bugs or vermin infestations
Sadly, even when there are no red flags, nursing home abuse can still occur. If you notice signs of abuse, it is important to speak to an experienced West Palm Beach nursing home abuse lawyer immediately. In addition, if your loved one says that they’ve been a victim of abuse, believe them. You will need to remove your loved one from the abusive situation and hold the abusive caregiver and negligent institution responsible for their actions. In many cases, the police and local authorities may need to be called as a crime could’ve been committed.
Contact our West Palm Beach Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Today
Finding out that your loved one has been abused by their caregivers is an awful discovery. After all, you trusted that they would keep your loved one safe from harm. If you believe that your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse or elder abuse, we can help.
At Fetterman & Associates, our North Palm Beach nursing home abuse attorneys hold negligent institutions and abusive caregivers responsible for the harm they cause and the injuries suffered in their care. We can help protect your loved one from further abuse. Call us today at 561-845-2510 for a free initial consultation and review of your case. We know that this is a difficult time for you and your family. Let us help you through it. Call us today!
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