SPONSORED CONTENT
Elderly abuse is a concern for anyone in the country. It is undoubtedly a concern for anyone struggling with the difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home facility. Those in North Carolina though, now have less reason to worry.
In a survey conducted by WalletHub, North Carolina was at the top of the list for states that had the best elderly abuse protections in place. Using a number of categories, WalletHub analyzed nursing home data in each state and used that data to rank them from best to worst. North Carolina was not only above average in the majority of categories, in some it took the top spot.
Of all the states, North Carolina came in 13th for the number of agencies and amenities dedicated to elder care in the state. The Tar Heel State also came in 19th for elder-abuse, gross neglect, and exploitation complaints. Although there are several states ranked better, this still points to the fact that North Carolina sees fewer complaints of elder abuse than the majority of states in the country.
The best ranking North Carolina received in the study was that for the number of certified volunteer ombudsmen, in addition to the amount of elderly abuse laws the state has passed. In these two categories, North Carolina ranked number one.
In addition to assigning different rankings for unique categories, WalletHub also ranked the states overall. In this tally, North Carolina made the top ten, coming in ninth.
“This study should make anyone that lives in North Carolina proud, and reassure anyone currently looking for a facility for a loved one,” says Ben Whitley of Whitley Law Firm. “However, we still have room for improvement in certain areas. We need to bring the number of complaints even lower and increase investment in the long-term care ombudsman program. North Carolina has and will continue to be a model for other states on elderly abuse protection.”
The survey is an indication that most long-term facilities are caring for their residents properly in North Carolina, but family members still need to perform their due diligence. Families should always visit with their loved ones and pay particular attention to how staff members interact with the residents and if the residents seem happy and cared for.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
