ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Residents Denied Medication and Food
Theft From Elders’ Rooms
Lack of Nursing and Aide Supervision
Nursing home residents are susceptible to neglect and abuse in the best of times but in periods of economic downturn the risks seem to grow exponentially. State health agencies are reporting increases in incidents of abuse and neglect in nursing homes even beyond the horrors of COVID-19 infections. Our elder abuse litigators represent victims of nursing home abuse, overmedication (or missed medications), neglect, abandonment, sexual abuse, rape, or injuries from wandering off/elopement here in Marin County and throughout the State of California. If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse or neglect in a nursing home here in Marin or elsewhere in California, call us today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Staff Turnover, Understaffing, and Neglect
Economic downturns historically produce more cases of theft and financial elder abuse from older persons, as predators seize on the most vulnerable. But downturns also lead to increased incidents of physical abuse and neglect in many care institutions. In part this is due to staff turnovers, hiring of under-trained persons, and reductions in training and supervision. Home administrators may also cut staff to improve profits. Residents are the ones who suffer from cost cutting whether by staff shortages, cutbacks or and elimination of hours spent in training or supervision. In one recently documented case,[1] staff turnover and shortages in a facility allegedly resulted in numerous violations, including delays in feeding, deprivation of medication, theft of money and articles from residents’ rooms, and admission of more patients than the facility could safely accommodate.
What You Should Do If You Suspect Abuse or Neglect
Neglect and understaffing can also result in serious, often fatal, conditions such as pressure wounds/ulcers/bedsores, dehydration, or overmedication with anti-psychotic or other dangerous drugs. During the pandemic if you cannot check in on an elderly loved one in person try Zoom or FaceTime for communication or talk to some staff member you know you can trust about how your loved one is doing. Report any suspected abuse to the authorities and contact qualified counsel like the California nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm to help you. If a loved one has suffered injury as the result of abuse or neglect, our attorneys will pursue all available remedies from nursing home owners, administrators and staff, including awards of attorneys’ fees and costs to you for bringing your suit.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans and the other nursing home abuse attorneys at the Evans Law Firm represent victims of any kind of elder abuse here in Marin County and throughout California, including nursing home abuse and neglect. If you need representations, call us today 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. was not involved in the case in any way.
