In a new study, WalletHub placed Colorado at number 29 out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia) in elder-abuse protection. We have posted here regularly about our law firm’s dedication to the safety of vulnerable, elderly Coloradans.
We devote much of our practice to representing seniors and their family members, caregivers, conservators, guardians, fiduciaries, friends and others concerned for the well-being of elders. We provide advice about long-term care; signs of physical, emotional and financial abuse; and legal remedies that can stop mistreatment, set up protections for the individual and seek damages for previous harm.
Elder-abuse risk growing
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2030, one-fifth of U.S. residents will be at least 65 years old, so current problems will grow, placing pressure on states to beef up protections. WalletHub in its study of how states are doing in this regard looked at three metrics, assigning points to each factor within a category:
- Prevalence: Numbers of abuse, neglect and exploitation complaints
- Resources: Spending on prevention, legal assistance and ombudsman programs
- Protection: Elder-abuse laws, eldercare services and organizations, elder-abuse forensic centers, elder-abuse working groups like task forces or nonprofits, volunteer ombudsmen, assisted-living inspection frequency, nursing-home quality, state laws allowing surveillance camera in nursing homes, elder justice task forces and elder-abuse shelters
Colorado’s showing
Our state ranked 29th with an overall score of 46.15. By comparison, Massachusetts was first at 63.68, while South Carolina was last at 15.49. Our surrounding states ranked:
- Wyoming: 50th at 17.57
- New Mexico: 44th at 33.23
- Utah: 41st at 37.62
- Nebraska: 38th at 40.75
- Kansas: 25th at 47.66
- Oklahoma: 18th at 50.62
- Arizona: Sixth at 60.66
Breaking down Colorado’s ranking further, the state is 40th in Prevalence, suggesting that the state is lagging in numbers of elder-abuse complaints. Anyone in the state who suspects abuse or neglect, whether physical, verbal, sexual, psychological or financial, should not hesitate to contact law enforcement when appropriate or talk to an attorney who regularly handles elder-abuse cases for advice.
Colorado ranked higher in Resources at 14th and Protection at sixth, which would suggest that our state spending, laws, programs and other resources (public, nonprofit or private) dedicated to elder protection are relatively robust.
At & , LLC, we support efforts to bolster resources that help to protect our seniors such as the NextFifty Initiative. We have shared information here about this nonprofit, devoted to financial support of efforts to improve lives for Coloradans over 50.