ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Sexual Assaults And Lewd Acts By Caregivers
94-Year-Old Victim Powerless Against Assaults
Bed-Ridden Dementia Patients Most Vulnerable
The elderly and those with dementia are vulnerable to abuse even in the very facilities where their loved ones trust they will be safe. Potential abuse includes sexual assault, rape or lewd acts in an elder’s presence. Reported incidents are truly horrifying and, like much elder abuse, most likely the vast majority of such atrocious acts are never reported. When a family does learn of rape or sexual assault of a senior, however, the elder abuse litigators at Evans Law Firm. Inc. can represent them and hold all persons, including the owners and managers of the facility, responsible for the injury. You can reach our litigators today at (415)441-8669 if any senior loved one has suffered any kind of elder abuse anywhere in California, including by sexual assault in a nursing home or other care facility.
Facts of a Reported Case
In one recently reported case,[1] a caregiver and co-owner of a nursing home has been arrested and accused of sexually abusing a 94-year-old woman who was a resident of the home. According to the authorities, the victim was particularly vulnerable as she was in hospice care and suffered from severe dementia. At the time the assaults and lewd acts were committed on her according to the criminal complaint, she was bed-ridden and mostly non-communicative, according to court records. The victim’s profile is sadly one that we often see in these kinds of cases. Because the victim was suffering from severe dementia and largely non-communicative she was unable to tell anyone the horrors she experienced at the caregiver/nursing home owner’s hands.
Protecting Loved Ones
How can you do to protect a senior loved one who may be vulnerable to these kind of attacks? You might want to start by checking out the history of the facility on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website. There, you will find any record of citations of abuse against the facility. Many families are installing cameras in their loved one’s room, which is permitted under California law. Many incidents of physical violence and assault of seniors have been caught on film and led to prosecutions. If you can safely visit your loved one during these times, note any bruises or change in behavior that may signal a problem. If you suspect any form of abuse, including sexual abuse, call elder law counsel such as the elder abuse litigators at Evans Law Firm right away.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm elder attorneys have experience with all manner of elder abuse cases, including cases involving nursing home abuse and sexual abuse. You can speak with our lawyers by calling (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys fight for seniors every day here in California and pursue all available remedies against all persons responsible for abuse of elder or dependent persons.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
