Abuse and neglect of Florida’s elderly have risen a dramatic 15 percent in the past year, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. So far this fiscal year, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) has received about 4,050 reports from Orange, Osceola, Brevard and Seminole counties alone.

Our firm has seen a significant increase in elder abuse cases since the Florida legislature passed nursing home protections in response to the industry’s claims that frivolous lawsuits were rampant during the 1990s and early this decade. However, during this same period, we also saw a steady decrease in the number of cases involving elder abuse.

DCF has called for increased training of investigators and greater vigilance by neighbors and family. DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth attributes the increasing abuse to a struggling economy when tempers flare and predators seek out the elderly for financial gain.

From my perspective, the increasing reports of elder abuse and neglect have occurred because there is limited financial consequence for the nursing home industry due to the protections passed by the Florida legislature. Coincidence or not?

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