ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Nursing Home Residents at Risk of Abuse and Neglect
Another Shocking Story of Nursing Home Abuse
Elderly patients abused in nursing homes have a 300 percent greater chance of death in the 3 years following the abuse than those who are not abused according to studies. Sadly, nursing home caregivers and other employees are often the abusers. In one recently reported case,[1] a nursing home employee was arrested on charges of criminal elder abuse of a 101-year-old nursing home resident. The abuse came to light after the resident complained to his granddaughter about what was happening to him. The Alameda nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent nursing home residents and their families against any persons or entities responsible for such abuse or neglect. If you or someone you know is suffering from nursing home abuse in Alameda County or elsewhere in California, call the nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
In the recent case, once the elderly nursing home patient complained to his granddaughter about the abuse he was suffering, she hired a private investigator. The private investigator installed a hidden camera in the man’s room. The videos produced were shocking. They showed the same nursing home employee repeatedly taunting the man, hitting him, and kissing him. According to reports the video shows the elderly man attempting to defend himself with objects grabbed from his nightstand. In addition to the video, the granddaughter alleges that her grandfather said he had been sexually abused as well. The nursing home employee was arrested and charged with abuse.
Spotting Abuse
Stories of abuses like this one are shocking, though they are becoming more and more frequent. If you have a loved one in a nursing home, visit as often as you can and monitor the care your loved one receives. Watch for signs of possible abuse or neglect:
- Bedsores/pressure ulcers or other poor skin conditions;
- Bruises and scratch marks;
- Poor physical appearance or lack of cleanliness;
- Frequent infections;
- Falls;
- Injuries from wandering off unsupervised (known as elopement);
- Indication of sexual assault, rape, or battery;
- Lack of equipment and supplies;
- Overmedication;
- Rapid weight loss;
- Dehydration;
- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;
- Prolonged sleep or drowsiness;
- Agitation especially when certain caregivers are present or caregivers who do not want the patient to be alone with others;
- Reluctance to speak when staff is nearby;
- Unsanitary and unclean conditions, soiled bed linens and clothes;
- Fear of being touched.
You know your loved one best and other observations may concern you. Ask your loved one to confide in you as to how he or she is really doing and not to hold anything back. Often residents are reluctant to talk for fear of retaliation by their abuser or embarrassment. Make sure they know they can trust you with the truth. Report any suspicions of abuse to the nursing home administrator and the authorities, including Alameda County Adult Protective Services and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman assigned to the facility. In addition to reporting abuse to the authorities, call qualified counsel like the nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm to help you and the victim obtain all available remedies under California law from those responsible.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one is or has been the victim of nursing home abuse 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.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
