Articles Posted in Elder Abuse

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At Nursing Home Law Group, we’re committed to protecting the rights of vulnerable seniors. That includes speaking up when proposed changes in federal policy threaten access to the long-term care so many elderly Americans depend on. Right now, a quiet but dangerous proposal in Congress could put essential nursing home care out of reach for people like Owen Allen — and thousands of others across the country.

Owen, a 64-year-old man with muscular dystrophy, lives in a Medicaid-supported nursing home in Georgia. With help from skilled staff, he works to regain his strength through therapy and daily activities. His care, like that of more than 60% of nursing home residents nationwide, is paid for by Medicaid. Without it, he simply wouldn’t be able to stay.

What’s Happening in Congress?

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Realizing that an elderly parent needs to move into a nursing home to receive the level of care they need can be difficult — both emotionally for their adult children and other family members and in terms of finding a safe and high-quality facility. When you are looking at potential nursing homes in Orange County or elsewhere in Southern California, it is important to consider a wide range of factors. You should think about indicators of good care and safety at a facility just as carefully as potential red flags that arise during a visit. It is always important to visit ahead of time and to be sure that you have a chance to see a facility before staff members can fully plan ahead for a visit. In other words, it is important to be able to see any potential facility as it operates normally on an everyday basis. 

Once you visit a facility, you should then pay attention to signs of quality care, as well as signs that safety could be an issue.

Indicators of Quality Care in a Nursing Home

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Is malnutrition in an Orange County nursing home or assisted-living facility a result of nursing home neglect? The answer to this question is not always straightforward. Malnutrition can be difficult to identify, and in some cases, it can result from health issues that affect the resident. At the same time, malnutrition can be the result of elder abuse or neglect. Accordingly, it is important for anyone with a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility in California to understand the causes of malnutrition and common signs of malnutrition linked to elder abuse and neglect. An experienced Orange County nursing home neglect lawyer can provide you with more information, and we can speak with you today about taking action if an elderly loved one has experienced harmful malnutrition in a Southern California facility.

Learning More About Malnutrition

What is malnutrition? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is a term that “refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy or nutrients.” It can take different forms, including the form known as “undernutrition,” which tends to result in the most harm for elderly Americans. Undernutrition can involve wasting, being underweight, and having important micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies. While malnutrition can affect people worldwide of any age, it tends to have the most significant impact among older adults in the US. 

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At California Nursing Home Law Group, we have years of experience handling a wide range of nursing home and assisted living neglect cases. We have seen the devastating effects that negligence can have on some of the most vulnerable members of society—those entrusted to nursing homes for care and safety.

While nursing home neglect can take many forms, there are five specific types of cases that we most commonly encounter. These include bed sore cases, falls with injuries, failure to take action after an obvious change in health condition, wandering away from the facility, and physical assault. Below is a breakdown of each type of case and the troubling signs associated with nursing home neglect.

  1. Bed Sore Cases
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When an aging parent or loved one can no longer live safely at home, families in San Jose often turn to nursing homes or assisted living facilities with the hope that their loved one will receive attentive, professional care. Unfortunately, that trust is not always rewarded. Across Santa Clara County, issues such as chronic understaffing, inadequate supervision, and poor care planning continue to put elderly residents at serious risk. One of the most devastating and frequently overlooked consequences of these failures is traumatic brain injury or TBI.

TBIs are commonly associated with sports injuries or serious car crashes, but they occur far more often than many families realize in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Falls, medication related confusion, and lack of supervision can all lead to head injuries that permanently alter an older adult’s health and independence. San Jose nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers regularly see cases where a single preventable fall changes the entire trajectory of a resident’s life.

Traumatic Brain Injuries and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

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Choosing a Nursing Home in Sonoma County: Key Differences Between For-Profit and Non-Profit Facilities

When you are searching in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, or anywhere in Sonoma County for a nursing home for your elderly loved one, it is essential to do as much research as possible. Choosing a facility that provides the specific level of care your family member requires is paramount. Facilities vary greatly in quality and size, and they also fall into two main categories: for-profit and non-profit. Understanding the distinction is critical, as a recent report from CBS News highlights that many for-profit nursing homes in California may not be serving residents well.

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Can Happen Anywhere

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Whether an older adult with a chronic health condition is residing in a skilled nursing facility, assisted-living facility, memory-care facility, or other location in Los Angeles County, studies have shown that these seniors tend to be more vulnerable to abuse and neglect. In particular, older adults with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment are often targets of elder abuse in nursing homes and related facilities, and their conditions frequently prevent them from recognizing or reporting the abuse themselves. Yet, according to a recent article in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, a new study focused on the Comprehensive Older Adult and Caregiver Help (COACH) method might be able to reduce the likelihood of physical and emotional abuse. 

Could this method also be applicable to caregivers who are employed by nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in Southern California? Our Los Angeles County nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers can say more.  

Learning About the COACH Method

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Elder abuse and neglect in Orange County often result in severe and deadly resident injuries in nursing homes. Abuse can take many different forms, from intentional physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to passive neglect. To be clear, even when a staff member or other employee of a nursing home does not intend to cause harm, failing to attend to a resident’s health needs can result in serious harm for which the facility can be liable. Likewise, injuries resulting from intentional harm can also result in successful nursing home abuse and neglect claims against the facility, as well as the perpetrators. While studies underscore that nursing home abuse and neglect injuries occur with some frequency, they also highlight that abuse and neglect often go unreported.

To be sure, some studies suggest that the underreporting of nursing home abuse and neglect means that rates of harm are significantly higher than data currently indicate. Why is nursing home abuse and neglect underreported? There are many potential reasons that various studies have addressed, but a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut argues that fears of retaliation are central to understanding the problem. What do you need to know? Our Orange County nursing home negligence lawyers can say more.

Common Reasons for Abuse and Neglect Underreporting in Southern California Nursing Homes and Assisted-Living Facilities

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Nursing home abuse occurs frequently, but it can still be difficult to spot or identify if you do not know what to look for. Quite often, friends and family members of older adults in nursing homes are in the best position to spot injuries that may have resulted from abuse or neglect, so it is critical to know what you should be observing and reporting. Our Orange County nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys have tips. The following are the top ways to spot nursing home abuse in Orange County.

Learn About Different Forms of Abuse and Neglect

Nursing home abuse and neglect can take many different forms, so it is critical to understand the types of abuse that can occur. Those forms of abuse typically include physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse, willful deprivation, and passive neglect.

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Do nursing homes in San Bernardino County and elsewhere in Southern California have enough staff members to prevent resident injuries due to negligence? Nursing homes have a duty to provide residents with the specific types of care they need, and when a facility is understaffed and a resident suffers an injury as a result of the understaffing, the facility may be liable. According to a recent report in The New York Times, federal officials have proposed new rules for increasing the number of staff members at nursing homes throughout the country. How do the newly proposed standards compare with current requirements in California? And what should you do if you believe an elderly loved one at a nursing home suffered serious or deadly injuries due to neglect and understaffing?

Our San Bernardino County nursing home neglect lawyers are here to help, and we can tell you more.

Learning More About the Newly Proposed Federal Rules

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