ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Stronger Regulations for Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that improved federal oversight of the health and welfare of residents is needed in both nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The Alameda County elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. know that seniors are too often victims of all manners of physical abuse and neglect in nursing homes or assisted care facilities. Our litigators represent residents and their families against any persons or entities responsible for any elder abuse or neglect suffered by seniors in nursing homes, care facilities or at the hands of in-home caregivers. If you or someone you know is suffering elder abuse in Alameda County or elsewhere in California, call the elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Nursing home abuse is a problem here in Alameda County and a growing problem nationally. About 3.2 million people in the U.S. live in nursing homes and are at risk abuse, abandonment, and/or neglect. About 44 percent of nursing home residents in a recent survey indicated that they had suffered from abuse, and more than 95 percent indicated that they had been neglected by their caregivers. In a response to the GAO’s report, a representative for the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living said it takes “allegations of abuse very seriously and are focused on preventing those rare incidents.” Unfortunately, these issues do not seem to be as rare as they should be.
Spotting Abuse
If your loved one is in 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 sexual assault, rape, 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- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;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. Report abuse to the authorities, and call elder abuse counsel like the 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 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 info@evanslaw.com. 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.
