ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Police Use DNA Evidence To Identify Suspect
Victim Has No Memory Of Anything
Another Employee Reports Suspicions
Nursing home residents are at risk of all varieties of elder abuse including sexual assault and rape. Statistics show that 20,000 incidents of sexual abuse, assault and rape in nursing homes have been reported to the authorities over the last two decades. This is only part of the horrific story, however, as sexual abuse, like other forms of elder abuse in nursing homes, is often underreported. This can be due to the social stigma around sexual assault, or fear of retribution by the perpetrator. Also, residents with mental or physical disabilities may not be able to recount their experience and tell the authorities; in fact Alzheimer’s sufferers and others with extreme dementia may have no memory at all and may have lost the ability to speak. Evans Law Firm. Inc. represents victims of sexual assault or other abuse in nursing homes, and their families, and pursues all persons responsible, including owners, administrators and managers including awards of attorneys’ fees and costs for bringing the lawsuit. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15657. Call us today at (415)441-8669 if any senior loved one has suffered any kind of elder abuse here in Alameda County or elsewhere in California. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
Recent Arrest[1]
In a recently reported incident, a caregiver is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting an elderly woman with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Following an investigation, authorities arrested the caregiver on suspicion of rape. An employee at an assisted living memory care facility believed a 81-year-old resident was sexually assaulted. Officials said the employee contacted her supervisor and the facility called police to investigated. Detectives used DNA swabs from the two men caregivers on-duty the evening of the assault, with lab evidence indicating one of the man likely had assaulted the woman, who has no memory of anything. The resident speaks in limited English and has other medical ailments, authorities said.
Protecting Loved Ones From Sexual Abuse
Fortunately, an employee at the facility reported her suspicions to her supervisor who reported the suspicions to the police. The employee and her supervisor are mandated reporters of abuse and followed the law in reporting the suspicions. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15630(b)(1)(A)(ii). If you have any suspicions that a loved one in a nursing home is suffering any kind of abuse, alerts the home’s administrator and the authorities. If your loved one is already a nursing home resident, consider an in-room surveillance camera. Surveillance cameras in a senior’s room are permitted under California law. If suspect any kind of elder abuse of a loved one, including sexual abuse, call Evans Law Firm immediately.
If you have a loved one who is about to enter any facility, check the facility out on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website and the California Department of Public Health website. If there have been citations of abuse against the facility, you can read the citations and find out what was alleged.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans represents Alameda County and California seniors who have been victims of elder abuse including abuse and neglect or sexual abuse in nursing homes. Call Ingrid at once if you suspect something is wrong. You can reach us at (415) 441-8669, or email us at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. is not involved in the case in any way.
