ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Allegations of Abuse at Area Hospital/Skilled Nursing Facility
23 Elder and Dependent Adult Dementia Patients Allegedly Abused
The City of San Francisco and Laguna Honda Hospital were rocked by the announcement last Friday of allegations of abuse at the hospital, which operates as a 780-bed skilled nursing facility. According to the allegations announced by city officials, 23 dementia patients, age 30 to 100, were abused over a three-year period by six former staff members at the hospital. [1] The former staff members engaged in verbal and physical abuse, including sexualized conversations, and sedated patients with controlled substances. The CEO of Laguna Honda has resigned and the Director of Quality was removed from office. The California Department of Public Health and San Francisco Police Department are investigating the allegations but no arrests have yet been reported.
The San Francisco elder and dependent adult abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent victims of elder and dependent adult abuse in hospitals, nursing homes or other care facilities throughout the State of California. Our lawyers believe owners, management, administrators and staff should be held accountable for any neglect or abuse that results in injury. Our lawyers know how to investigate these cases and sue the responsible parties for all remedies available to victims and their families. If you or someone you know is suffering from elder or dependent adult abuse in San Francisco or elsewhere in California, call the attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Any elder or dependent adult institutionalized or under the care of an in-home caregiver is at risk of abuse and neglect. If you have a loved one in any kind of care facility or under the care of an in-home caregiver, 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- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;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 qualified counsel like the nursing home and elder and dependent adult 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 San Francisco or elsewhere in California, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other nursing home and elder and dependent adult 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 any way in any of the cases discussed in this blog.
