ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Battery, Sexual Assault, Rape, And Other Intentional Abuse
Dementia Patients Especially at Risk
Sadly, dementia patients in nursing homes and assisted care facilities are at risk of intentional physical abuse by aides and staff in the very facilities where families expect their afflicted loved ones to be safe and cared for. When patients are abused, the Alameda County elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. believe that nursing homes, owners, administrators and staff should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. If you or someone you know is suffering elder abuse in a nursing home, assisted care facility or at home by a caregiver in Alameda County or elsewhere in California, call the elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
In one recent case,* an aide was arrested for allegedly hitting a 96-year-old dementia patient on the head three times after the patient signaled for help lowering her power chair so her feet could rest on the ground. The alleged assault was caught on a surveillance camera the patient’s family had installed in her room. The family complained to the facility administrator who contacted authorities, Deputies tried to talk to the 96-year-old patient, but a probable cause statement submitted to court stated that she could not talk due to her age and health conditions. The deputies then watched the surveillance video and saw the suspect allegedly striking the woman on the head three times, according to court papers.
As the case illustrates, dementia patients may be unable to communicate verbally about any abuse they may be suffering. Under current COVID-19 emergency restrictions, visits to your loved one in a nursing home may be limited so that you cannot observe their condition firsthand. You might want to consider installing a Granny cam in their room and the home administrator can explain the procedures. Cameras are allowed in nursing home rooms in California. If you suspect any form of abuse, report it to the authorities and call elder counsel like the California nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm to help you and the victim obtain all available remedies under California law from those responsible, including awards of attorneys’ fees and costs for bringing your elder abuse action.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one is or has been the victim of abuse or neglect from a caregiver or while residing in a nursing home or other care facility in Alameda County or elsewhere in California, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other nursing home abuse attorneys at the Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
- Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
