ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Residents at Risk of Sexual Assault, Other Intentional Abuse, and Neglect
Cases of Sexual Assaults and Rape Increase
Dementia Patients Especially at Risk
Nursing home residents are at risk of harm from negligent abuse and neglect, and intentional abuse such as rape, sexual assault, battery, and intentional overmedication. Tragically, incidents of sexual assault and rape are more and more in the news. The Marin County elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. know how horrible abuse of nursing home and assisted care facility residents can be, whether rape or overmedication, neglect, abandonment or injuries sustained from wandering/elopement. If you or someone you know is suffering elder abuse in San Francisco or Marin or Alameda County or elsewhere in California, call the elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Just recently a caregiver at an assisted care facility was arrested by authorities for allegedly raping an 85-year-old woman with dementia who resided in the facility.[1] Court records indicate that this was not the first time this caregiver had been investigated by authorities for allegations of sexual abuse crimes. After a history check on the suspect, three different investigations were revealed that identified him as a suspect at a different adult care facility where he was employed as a caregiver, according to court records.
Spotting Abuse
If your loved one has already been admitted to 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. Watch for signs of possible abuse or neglect:
- Bedsores/pressure ulcers or other poor skin conditions;
- Indication of rape, sexual assault, 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- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;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. Always report suspected abuse to the authorities but also call qualified counsel like the California 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 San Francisco or Marin or Alameda 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.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. is not involved in the case in any way.
