ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Elder Abuse Is An Epidemic
Millions of Americans suffer from elder abuse in one form or another every year. While many cases go unreported, reported incidents are steadily growing as the population becomes more aware of the epidemic and injured seniors begin to speak up for themselves. Here in Marin County and neighboring Sonoma County authorities note a sizeable increase in reported elder abuse cases over the past two years. The Marin County and California elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. are dedicated to doing all we can to protect seniors from elder abuse and represent them in pursuing their abusers in litigation.
We represent elder abuse victims and their families against all manner of abusers including caregivers, nursing homes and staff, persons acting fraudulently under Powers of Attorney, insurance agents selling inappropriate/unsuitable annuities and investments to seniors, brokers, reverse mortgage lenders, financial advisors, unscrupulous fiduciaries, trustees, and more. If you or someone you know is the victim of elder abuse in Marin County or elsewhere in California, call Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669.
Types of Elder Abuse
The National Institute on Aging identifies a variety of forms of elder abuse:
- Financial: Taking a senior’s money or other property by outright theft or fraud, selling a senior an inappropriate or unsuitable annuity or other investment, coercing a senior to make gifts or change the terms of a trust or Will, unauthorized access to bank and brokerage accounts, draining annuity, Social Security or other benefits, using a senior’s credit or debit card, and more.
- Physical: bodily harm, things like slapping, hitting, pinching, pushing.
- Neglect of an elderly person by ignoring their needs or withholding food, liquids, medication, or forms of assisting like bathing, turning in bed, and cleaning. Lack of supervision and monitoring are forms of neglect that may allow a dementia patient to wander away from home or a facility. Wandering (also known as elopement) exposes the senior to high risk of injury from falls, traffic accidents, hypothermia and the like.
- Emotional/psychological: hurtful words, yelling, threatening, intimidating, and isolating a senior from his or her family and friends.
- Abandonment: leaving a senior or dependent adult alone with no plan of care or assistance.
- Sexual: forcing an elder to watch or participate in sexual acts.
Seniors isolated in their homes are often victims of abuse. But seniors in assisted care facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, and other care facilities are also subject to abuse or neglect. Our California elder abuse attorneys represent abuse victims against any individual or institution responsible for the abuse and hold them accountable for their actions.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has been the victim of physical, emotional or financial elder abuse in Marin County or elsewhere in California, contact elder abuse attorney Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm elder abuse attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with all types of physical and financial elder abuse, investment and securities fraud and annuity fraud, and nursing home abuse. We can guide your case through a jury trial, or toward an equitable settlement. We also handle qui tam and whistleblower lawsuits, whole life insurance and universal life insurance cases, and cases involving indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
