ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Nursing Home Residents at Risk of Abuse and Neglect
Emotional Abuse A Significant Danger
Taunting An Elderly Patient
Tales of abuse of the elderly in nursing homes are heartbreaking and sadly new stories of nursing home abuse have become routine. In one recent case,[1] two nursing home aides have been arrested for taunting a 91-year-old nursing home resident with dementia by waving a hospital gown in her face knowing how frightened she was of going to the hospital. The horrible scene was caught on camera by a former employee of the home who was “broken-hearted” because she had cared for the patient in the past, according to reports. The family of the victim has brought a lawsuit against the nursing home for elder abuse and other claims.
The Marin nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent nursing home residents harmed by any type of abuse or neglect in a nursing home or other care facility in California. Our lawyers believe owners, management, administrators and staff should be held accountable for any neglect or abuse that results in injury. If you or someone you know is suffering from nursing home abuse in Marin or elsewhere in California, call the nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Nursing home residents are in homes for a reason – they can no longer take care of themselves. The patients and their families trust skilled nursing facilities to take care of these patients, and they pay dearly for that care. If you have a loved one in any kind of a nursing home or care facility, 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;
- 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- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;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;
- 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. If you suspect abuse or neglect, do something about it immediately. Notify the nursing home administrator who is required by law to report the situation to the authorities. You should also call counsel like the nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm to help you pursue all available remedies against those responsible for injury, including the award of your attorneys’ fees and costs under certain circumstances.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one is or has been the victim of nursing home abuse 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. In addition to cases of nursing home abuse, we also handle cases involving any type of physical and financial elder abuse and neglect, qui tam and whistleblower laws, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. is not involved in the case in any way.
