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India treats its cows better than United States Treats its elderly in Nursing Homes

By Jeffrey J. Downey, attorney representing victims of elder neglect and abuse


Cows are sacred in India.  There’s a nursing home on the outskirts of New Delhi that provides  free food and lodging, a well resources hospital. Its patients are cows. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-01-23/india-s-sacred-cow-now-threatens-an-83-billion-dairy-industry At the Shri Krishna Gaushala, the 8,100 bovine residents receive abundant feed and free veterinary care, thanks to the generosity of the Hindu faithful and Modi’s government, which has lavished at least 5.8 billion rupees on the refuges. “This is the government that believes that ‘cow is our mother, ” says Chhaganlal Gupta, the gaushala’s 81-year-old founder, while making the rounds between covered pens in an electric, three-wheeled passenger cart. “If we don’t get funding under this government, we won’t ever get funding.”

Yes, India for the most part is a different country in terms of religion and politics, but that’s not the point.  It is how one country treats a member of the animal kingdom in comparison to how the elderly population is treated around the world – particularly in the United States.  In the United States an estimated 5 million elders are abused each year, with many of them being abused in nursing homes. Currently, there are over 1.5 million Americans living in nursing homes and another 1 million living in residential care facilities.  Nursing homes are the weak link in our healthcare chain, and its not getting any better under the current administration, explains Downey.

In sharp contrast to the charitable giving to elderly animals in India, in the United States many nursing homes are part of large chains that are run by private equity firms.  These private equity firms have a history of cutting staffing to maximize profits. One study found that as many as 44% percent of nursing home residents experience some form of abuse or neglect.  Some 1/3rd of nursing homes in the United States have been cited for regulatory violations that could lead to actual harm of the residents.

If you or a loved one have suffered from neglect by health care staff, contact the Law Office of Jeffrey J. Downey for a free consultation.

Serving clients in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Address: , 8270 Greensboro Drive, Suite 810, McLean, VA, 22101, Phone 703-564-7318. On the web at www.jeffdowney.com.

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