Articles Posted in Elder Abuse

Hip fractures are among the most serious types of broken bone injuries, and they are especially common among older adults. In addition to being common among the elderly, hip fractures are a leading cause of poor outcomes for those elderly patients, as UCLA Health explains. While older adults can fall in various situations without another party being liable, when falls and hip fractures happen in nursing homes, the facility is almost always responsible for the fall due to negligence. Our Marin County nursing home neglect lawyers can tell you more about hip fractures in nursing home falls and why you may be able to hold the facility accountable for an elderly parent’s life-altering injury.

Why Are Hip Fractures So Dangerous for Nursing Home Residents?

Hip fractures can happen at any age due to trauma in a serious fall from heights or in a motor vehicle crash, for example, but they are especially dangerous when they result from an older adult’s same-level fall. 

Nursing-HomeFamilies are often told that a loved one is “stable for discharge” from the hospital and ready to transition into a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. But what many families do not realize is that the timing of that transfer can dramatically increase the risk of neglect, injury, and even death.

At Nursing Home Law Group, we have represented victims of nursing home neglect and malpractice throughout California for more than 30 years. Over and over again, we have seen serious injuries occur when residents are admitted to facilities on Fridays, holiday weekends, Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, or other periods when staffing is stretched thin.

In our experience, these admissions can create dangerous gaps in care that place vulnerable elderly residents at serious risk.

What does social media have to do with nursing home abuse and neglect in Fremont or elsewhere in the Bay Area? The two things — social media and nursing home abuse — might not seem like they would have any relation to one another. However, as various types of social media platforms have become increasingly popular among wide-ranging age groups, and forms of psychological and emotional abuse continue to occur in nursing home and assisted-living facility settings, the two things have, unfortunately, coincided. 

According to a recent report from McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, more than 10 years after a large-scale investigation addressed nursing home staff members posting humiliating, belittling, and embarrassing photos of residents on social media accounts, this behavior persists. Our Fremont nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers can tell you more about the recent report, and we can help you to seek accountability if this type of unconscionable act has harmed an elderly loved one in your family.

Harms of Psychological and Emotional Abuse

Whether you have an elderly loved one who resides in a Hayward nursing home or elsewhere in the Bay Area, you should be aware of the risks of malnutrition and nursing home negligence. Older adults are at greater risk of malnutrition when they have certain chronic conditions, and nursing homes have a duty to monitor residents to ensure that they are receiving proper care based on the chronic conditions they have and, if necessary, that they receive certain new types of care to prevent malnutrition. Given that malnutrition is linked to physical decline in addition to increased mortality and morbidity rates, it is essential to recognize signs and symptoms.

If you have an elderly loved one in a San Francisco Bay Area nursing home, what signs or symptoms of malnutrition should alert you to seek help? 

Signs of Malnutrition in Elderly Nursing Home Residents

isaac-quesada-ztiexrDN7o-unsplash-copy-200x300There is a growing problem in this country that is not getting nearly enough attention, but we are seeing the consequences of it every day in our cases. The demand for elder care is rising rapidly, while the system responsible for providing that care is quietly breaking down.

At the center of the issue is a simple imbalance. More seniors need help than ever before, but there are fewer caregivers available to provide it. And the gap is widening.

Demand Is Surging, But Access Is Shrinking

Nursing home residents in Oakland, California, and throughout the Bay Area often require a wide range of medications on a regular basis, and in particular dosages. Residents of assisted-living facilities also may need assistance with medication administration, although assisted-living facilities do not provide the level of medical care that nursing homes provide. In either type of location, medication-related mistakes can result in the facility being liable. Facilities can also be liable whether staff members unintentionally made an error, as well as in circumstances where medications or devices are intentionally withheld from residents. Our Oakland nursing home neglect lawyer can explain in more detail.

Common Medication-Related Errors and Injuries in Nursing Homes and Assisted-Living Facilities

Medication-related mistakes in Oakland nursing homes and assisted-living facilities can take many forms. As we noted above, assisted-living facilities do not provide medical care as nursing homes do, but they can assist patients who need help taking certain medications and other forms of medication management, for example. Common medication-related errors in these facilities include, but are not limited to:

nursing_home-300x199When we place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility, we are placing enormous trust in that facility’s staff. We trust them to provide not just basic care, but dignity, safety, and attention.

So when something feels wrong—unexplained injuries, sudden decline, dehydration, infections, or emotional withdrawal—it is natural to feel alarmed. Many families ask the same question:

Is this negligence or neglect?

nursing-home-abuse-california-300x105When you suspect something is wrong with your loved one’s care, you are often right. Families come to us angry, confused, and grieving because what they are seeing does not add up. The truth is that nursing home and assisted living neglect is far more common than most people realize, and it is often preventable.

At Nursing Home Law Group, we have spent more than 50 years holding facilities accountable across California, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, and the broader Bay Area. If you are searching for answers, a San Francisco Bay Area nursing home neglect lawyer can help uncover what really happened and protect your family.

Below are real examples of neglect and abuse cases that show how quickly things can go wrong when facilities fail to follow basic standards of care.

wheelchair-sillohouteeWhen you suspect that something is wrong with your loved one’s care, you are often right. Families usually notice subtle changes first: weight loss, unexplained bruising, fear, confusion, or a decline that doesn’t make sense. What you are feeling is not overreaction. It is instinct.

As a San Diego nursing home neglect lawyer, we have spent more than 20 years investigating these exact situations. What follows are real stories of neglect and abuse. They are difficult to read, but they are important. Because they show how preventable these tragedies truly are.

Real Case: Left Alone When He Could Not Protect Himself

bedsore-300x200Yes. If your loved one developed bed sores while living in a nursing home or assisted living facility in Riverside County, you may have the right to file a lawsuit for neglect. Pressure sores are widely recognized as a preventable condition when residents receive proper care and supervision. When a facility allows these wounds to develop or worsen, it often signals serious failures in basic caregiving. A qualified Riverside bed sore lawyer can investigate whether neglect contributed to the injury and help your family pursue accountability.

How Bed Sores and Pressure Wounds Develop

Bed sores, also known as pressure ulcers or pressure injuries, form when prolonged pressure on the skin cuts off blood flow to the tissue underneath. This most commonly occurs in elderly residents who cannot reposition themselves without assistance.

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