June 12, 2008
By MATT HANLEY
In the first pictures Kane County Coroner Chuck West showed, the man's nails had grown so long that they curled completely around some of his toes. His body is on a mattress -- no sheet -- and his back is covered in bright red roach bites.
In the second set of pictures, a woman's body is nearly caved-in. Her face is covered in bruises, and she is clearly malnourished.
These were cases of neglect -- but not just by the caretakers. In the reports generated by police and paramedics who responded to those scenes, there was never a mention of possible abuse.
"We had police officers that basically assumed that this was just age," West said. "This is a major concern when a patient in this condition is seen to be normal.
"We're trying to get law enforcement to see that this is a crime," he said. "This is not natural. This is not acceptable."
West was among the organizers of Kane County's first elder abuse seminar, held at Waubonsee Community College Wednesday morning. More than 100 paramedics, prosecutors and police officers attended the conference to hear presentations on identifying, reporting and charging cases of elder abuse.
Abridged
SOURCE: SuburbanChicagoNews
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