San Jose Domestic Lawyer And Santa Clara Elder Abuse Attorney
As caretakers of their senior citizen parents, adult children have many responsibilities that range from making meals and ensuring that prescriptions are taken, to arranging doctors appointments and helping their parent up and out of chairs. As elder parents grow older, they can become even frailer, their balance may fade, and generally even their cognitive abilities diminish. With poor balance, skin that breaks easily, and a poor understanding of what is going on if they suffer from dementia, accidents can mistakenly lead to domestic violence charges of elder abuse. If you have been wrongly accused of domestic violence, you need to speak to a San Jose family attorney as soon as possible.
Wrongly Accusing a Family Member
Elder abuse is certainly a problem in California and throughout the U.S., and family members of the victim are often the perpetrators. Doctors and paramedics are sometimes quick to jump to conclusions because they do see real domestic violence on a regular basis, and may inform law enforcement of the incident. You may have just been taking your elderly parent to the hospital for stitches after they stumbled and fell, but you could end up in jail if things go wrong. Even worse, the elderly person may not fully understand, or remember, what actually happened. Law enforcement may even coax out information from the elderly person by leading them on; their testimony may have been completely fabricated.
How Do These Accidents Happen?
According to the multiple studies, balance tends to dramatically falter when people reach their sixties. This is caused by a variety of factors, including being overweight, declining vision, and loss of function of the inner ear. Falls are a leading cause of emergency room visits for elderly people. In fact, an older adult is treated in an ER every 11 seconds, according to the National Council on Aging. Other accidental injury causes that can appear to be domestic violence include dislocated shoulders when being helped out of bed or up from the ground following a fall, burning themselves on the stove, cutting themselves on a sharp object, and much more.
If You Have Been Wrongly Accused, Call Gemma V. Reyes Today
Domestic violence is among the most prevalent crimes committed in California, and elder abuse is growing in frequency as well. If an overprotective family member, neighbor, or other person has wrongly accused you of intentionally hurting your older loved one, do not hesitate to protect yourself by calling a dedicated San Jose family lawyer at the office of Gemma V. Reyes today.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/balance-is-a-vital-skill-that-fades-with-age-but-can-be-enhanced-with-exercises/2011/08/09/gIQA26IdHJ_story.html?utm_term=.5b59cafbbadf
https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/falls-prevention-facts/
