ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
A recent nursing home abuse case in Los Angeles has completed its journey through the legal system. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department has yet to finish their investigation into the matter. This case illustrates the problem with the growing backlog of incomplete investigations into nursing home abuse complaints. Los Angeles elder abuse attorneys are concerned that it is taking too long for nursing home abuse allegations to be investigated.
A recent Los Angeles area case involved the death of a patient at the Arcadia Health Care Center. The 85 year-old patient had deep bedsores in multiple places on her body. She underwent hospital treatment for the bedsores and bacterial infections. According to the victim’s daughter, the wounds on her body were there for months. The patient died of respiratory failure in April of 2012. Los Angeles elder abuse attorneys say that bedsores are a sign of nursing home abuse.
In September of 2011, the daughter of the nursing home patient sent a letter to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department requesting an investigation of the nursing home where her mother was living. The investigation has yet to be completed by the health department. According to a health department official, the investigation is still in process and Public Health is inquiring into the circumstances behind the delay in the final report and closure of this case. The official went on to state that “Public Health regrets the delay and is working to reduce the time from initiation of investigations until closure.” Los Angeles elder abuse attorneys would like to see nursing home abuse complaints investigated more quickly.
The litigation involving the death of the patient has concluded. The case went through the arbitration process to resolve the claims. The arbitrator for the case ruled that the 85 year-old patient had been a victim of elder abuse, wrongful death, and negligence and awarded the daughter more than $500,000. The legal system rarely works quickly; but in this case was more efficient than the investigation by the health department. Their investigation is still not complete. This case is just one example of an investigation that has remained incomplete for a long period of time. As a result, when consumers check public records on nursing home quality they won’t find any report about the wrongful death case at the Arcadia facility. The backlog of uninvestigated nursing home complaints has resulted in a lack of access of information regarding nursing homes that may have systemic problems.
Evans Law Firm, Inc. handles elder abuse, financial elder abuse, physical elder abuse, annuity fraud, consumer fraud class actions, insurance and banking fraud cases. If you think that you have witnessed or are the victim of elder abuse, or financial fraud then contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. at 415-441-8669 for a free and confidential consultation, or email us at info@evanslaw.com
