DO YOU SUSPECT ABUSE OR NEGLECT? Contact Us for a Free Consultation

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Screenshot-2026-06-16-134617-300x205A bed sore does not start as an emergency. It begins as a patch of red skin that a caregiver should have noticed and relieved. When no one does, the damage can reach muscle and bone, bacteria can enter the bloodstream, and a preventable wound can become sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection. If you lost a loved one this way, or fear you may, this article explains what happened and what you can do.

What a Bed Sore Is

Bed sores, also called pressure injuries, pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers, form when constant pressure cuts off blood flow to the skin. They appear most often over bony areas such as the tailbone, hips, heels, and shoulder blades. Residents who cannot reposition themselves, who are malnourished or incontinent, or who have dementia, diabetes, or poor circulation are at the greatest risk.

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There is no situation in which an older adult in a Sonoma County nursing home should die because of a preventable sepsis infection. Yet sepsis deaths are rising in nursing homes across the country, and it is crucial for family members to understand that these deaths are avoidable. According to a report from California Healthline, investigations over the last several years have revealed that sepsis deaths occur at a much higher rate than people used to suspect. Nursing home residents are already at a higher risk of developing infections than the general population given their advanced age, reduced immune capacities, and safety issues in facilities. Much too often, somewhat minor infections are not properly diagnosed or treated, and as a result, sepsis develops and becomes fatal.

If you have an elderly loved one in a Bay Area nursing home, what do you need to know about the serious risks of infections, and in particular, about sepsis? Our Sonoma County nursing home neglect lawyer can provide you with the information you need.

What is Sepsis and How Does It Occur in Nursing Homes?

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jeremy-wong-298986-copy-300x200Making the decision to help an elderly parent or loved one move into a nursing home can be extremely stressful, especially given the prevalence of serious injuries resulting from nursing home abuse and neglect. It is extremely important for family members and loved ones to be aware of the signs of abuse and neglect while recognizing that abuse can take many different forms. Often, when there are reports of neglect at nursing homes or assisted-living facilities in California, those reports arise out of passive neglect — unintentional harm that usually results from a facility being understaffed, having staff members who are burned out, or other conditions that result in residents failing to receive the amount or type of care they need. But does neglect also take other forms?

Intentional abuse can take many forms, and sometimes other intentional acts can result in signs and symptoms associated with passive neglect. Our Orange County nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers can explain in more detail.

Abuse and Neglect Takes Many Forms

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CargiverAtHome-300x200Home care neglect is one of the least visible problems facing older Californians. Families choose home care for good reasons. Most seniors want to stay in their own homes, and a paid caregiver can make that possible. But once a caregiver is alone with your parent, much of the protection you assume exists may not be there.

What Home Care Is, and What It Isn’t

Home care is non-medical help: bathing, dressing, meals, light housekeeping, companionship, and rides to appointments. It is different from home health care, which is medical care from licensed nurses and therapists. It is also different from a nursing home or assisted living community, where staff, other residents, and state inspectors are all present.

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Nursing home abuse in the San Diego area can take many different forms: physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse, willful deprivation, and passive neglect. While any of those forms of abuse can result in devastating harm to an older adult in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in Southern California, neglect — unintentional, passive neglect — may actually result in the greatest amount of harm and the highest number of resident fatalities. 

What should you know about the dangers of nursing home neglect in the San Diego? Consider the following information, and do not hesitate to reach out to an attorney at the  Nursing Home Law Group if you have any concerns about an elderly loved one’s health or safety in a Southern California facility.  

Neglect May Be the Deadliest Form of Nursing Home Abuse

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rawpixel-487102-unsplash-copy-300x207Sonoma County and other regions of the Bay Area have a somewhat lower fall rate among older adults than other states in the country, according to recently released data, yet falls remain a leading cause of injury among the elderly in California. Whether a fall occurs in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in the Bay Area, how do these falls happen, and who is responsible for any injuries that result from the falls?

Our Sonoma County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more about the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and we can also provide you with more information about determining liability when an elderly loved one suffers injuries in a fall at a skilled nursing facility or residential care facility for the elderly in our state.

Who is Responsible When an Elderly Resident Falls?

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Choking-300x175In Marin County and throughout the Bay Area, nursing home residents are at risk of various types of injuries that can result from facility negligence and passive neglect. Staff members may not intend to cause harm, but due to issues such as understaffing and staff burnout, residents do not receive the type or degree of care they need. As MedlinePlus and the National Library of Medicine underscore, as we age, sensory and other physical changes occur that can make injuries more likely without careful assistance and monitoring, especially changes to vision, balance, and throat muscles. These three forms of physical decline, in particular, can be especially dangerous because they can result in falls and choking injuries in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Our Marin County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more. 

How Fall-Related and Choking Injuries Happen in Nursing Homes

Injuries resulting from falls and choking both have something important in common: they often occur when a nursing home resident has not received the amount of care or assistance they require. For example, many nursing home residents need assistance with certain daily activities to avoid a fall. Similarly, many residents need particular assistance at meal times to prevent a choking incident.

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inhomeTrusting a nursing home with the care of your parent, spouse, or grandparent is one of the hardest decisions a family can make. When that trust is broken — when a facility fails to treat an infection, ignores a fall, or dismisses a resident’s pain — the results can be devastating and, too often, fatal.

If you suspect a loved one didn’t receive the medical care they needed and deserved, you’re not alone, and you have legal options. Here’s what you need to know about medical neglect in California nursing homes.

What Counts as “Failure to Provide Proper Medical Care”?

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Do you have an elderly loved one who currently resides in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in Berkeley or elsewhere in the Bay Area? If so, and if your elderly parent or loved one is currently taking multiple medications for a range of health issues, they could be at increased risk of suffering an injury due to a medical mistake or medical negligence in the facility. This phenomenon of being on a number of different medications is known as “polypharmacy,” and it can lead staff members at facilities to be more likely to make errors in administering medications or even in prescribing medications based on the senior’s existing medication regimen due to potential interactions or dangerous overlaps.

What should you know about polypharmacy and nursing home injuries in Berkeley, CA, and throughout the Bay Area? Our Northern California nursing home neglect lawyers can provide you with more information, and we can speak with you today about holding a facility accountable for medical negligence that resulted in your loved one’s injuries.   

What is Polypharmacy?

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Why is it so important for family and friends of elderly nursing home residents to be able to recognize and report signs of abuse or neglect? In short, there are various circumstances in which residents themselves cannot, or simply choose not to, report abuse. Our San Diego nursing home neglect lawyers can explain these phenomena in more detail, and we can speak with you today if you have concerns about an elderly loved one’s health or safety in a Bay Area nursing home.

Inability to Report Abuse Due to Cognitive Impairment

Many older adults in Southern California nursing homes are residing in these facilities because they need a high level of care associated with their cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment among older adults can have different causes, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia or the result of a stroke.

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