We treat our pets better than we do our parents.. how sad... Make Elderly abuse a felony

There are indeed horrific cases of neglect of the elderly, but in the primary case mentioned in the article, the writer is unclear. Did the son have guardianship of his mother? If so then he was obligated by the court to act in her best interests. However if not, then what transpired, assuming that the mother was able to make an informed decision and hard as it may be to accept, MAY have been per the mother's wishes. Neglect of the elderly, contrary to what the article implies, is not "one" thing but can vary tremendously on a case-by-case basis, and interpretations can and do vary as well.

owatonnabill is correct. While these stories are truely sad we also don't want to read next year of someone with the right intentions getting caught up with felony charges. (can we all see what is happening with our zero tolerance in schools these days)

The laws pertaining to elder abuse are very lax and should be raised to a felony level. The Republicans are more concerned about pushing their own social agendas such as defining marriage and gay marriage laws than looking at the care of elderly. Animal abuse laws are more strict than elder abuse. In the case stated above: the son knew the living conditions were not conducive to the health and well being of his mother, he wished she were dead so he didn't have to watch her suffering from the conditions he caused. He was fined $50 and given 1 year probation. August 11th in Burnsville, dog left in hot car died... the fine $150. A human life had a "value" of $50 and a dog $150. Something has to be done to protect the elderly, we are all going to be old one day and the laws may be too late to help us enjoy a quality of life where we will be safe.

What a tragedy. It's so heartbreaking to read of elder abuse and neglect. This was a major concern of mine when I had to find a caregiver for my aging father. I worried about hiring a stranger for his care, but thankfully I found an agency that uses ClearCare's technology - something I highly recommend. I can check in online to see if the caregiver arrives on time, and when she gives my dad his medicine, etc. Hopefully more people will learn about this kind of software and it will prevent elder abuse.

owatannabill stated: "Did the son have guardianship of his mother? If so then he was obligated by the court to act in her best interests. However if not, then what transpired, assuming that the mother was able to make an informed decision and hard as it may be to accept, MAY have been per the mother's wishes."..... You made some interesting comments. If the son had legal guardianship he does have legal obligations, but even if he didn't he has moral and ethical obligations. Are you implying that the mother wanted to be in a cold and dark room, on a make-shift bed with nothing buy thing pj's and a light cover (probably a cotton sheet)? I certainly hope not, would you treat your ailing mother this way? A dog has more laws protect it than our elders.

barbm25 - Hold on a sec. The article says the mother was living in *her* home, not her sons. By her own wishes it appears. I frankly can't tell from the article why he was even charged with a misdemeanor. Yes, it was his moral responsibility to notify the county of his mothers living conditions and possibly mental condition. It was perhaps even his moral responsibility to move her into his own home. I'm not sure how it was his legal responsibility. The article could have been written much more clearly (BAD JOB, STRIB!), but instead it is written primarily for dramatic effect. It is hard to get an adult put under one's legal care against their wishes, not matter what the age, even if one wants to. And if you are not well off and can not afford the legal fees, it's just not going to happen (against the person's wishes). So you better hope the person is bad off enough that when you call the county, they will actually take over. If you haven't had to deal with mentally ill adults you just don't know what it's like.

When did we stop teaching morals and values? Why did we stop? This article shows what happens when people don't know right from wrong, or if they do know, they don't act in the right way. Lack of moral thinking is epidemic in our society, and getting worse.

Morality cannot be legislated, it must be taught. It seems that our society ignores this issue and opts for locking people up, instead of teaching morality.

I say we lower our taxes so our elders can suffer even more!!!!!! Right wingers don't understand that taxes play an important role in our society. America's treatment of the elderly is shameful. And it is happening everywhere, especially in our hospitals and nursing homes.