ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Residents at Risk of Abuse and Neglect
Nursing home abuse includes all manner of physical abuse and neglect, including sexual assault and rape, and the incidents of such abuse can be horrific. The Marin County elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. know how horrible and potentially fatal abuse and neglect of nursing home and assisted care facility residents can be. Our litigators represent residents and their families against any persons or entities responsible for any elder abuse or neglect suffered by seniors. We also represent seniors abused or neglected by in-home caregivers. If you or someone you know is suffering elder abuse in Marin County or elsewhere in California, call the elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Nursing home abuse is a problem here in Marin County and a growing problem nationally. About 3.2 million people in the U.S. live in nursing homes and are subject to abuse and/or neglect. Some facts about abuse occurring in nursing facilities:
- About 44 percent of nursing home residents in a recent survey indicated that they had suffered from abuse, and more than 95 percent indicated that they had been neglected by their caregivers (4).
- About 7 percent of nursing facility complaints were regarding long-term care facilities. The main complaints were exploitation, neglect and abuse.
- Older people who suffer from abuse have a 300 percent greater risk of death when compared to non-abused individuals (6).
- The elderly who are at the greatest risk of elder abuse are those who have concomitant health problems, such as depression, anxiety, bone problems, joint problems, chronic pain, digestive problems and cardiovascular problems.
Signs of Abuse
If your loved one is in a nursing home or assisted care facility, visit as often as you can and monitor the care your loved one receives. Do the same if your loved home is still at home under the care of an in-home caregiver. Be on the lookout for:
- Bedsores/pressure ulcers or other poor skin conditions;
- Indication of sexual assault, rape, or battery;
- Bruises and scratch marks;
- Poor physical appearance or lack of cleanliness;
- Frequent infections;
- Falls;
- Injuries from wandering off unsupervised (known as elopement);
- 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- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;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. You can report elder and dependent adult abuse, including nursing home abuse, to your local police department, Adult Protective Services and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s office. Marin County has more information about the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at: https://www.marinhhs.org/long-term-care-ombudsman-program. 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, 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 Marin 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.
