Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
It can be extremely disorienting to visit an elderly loved one at a San Diego County nursing home and to discover that your loved one has unexplained injuries or is behaving in a manner indicative of abuse or neglect. When you have concerns about nursing home abuse or neglect at a skilled nursing or assisted-living facility, you should seek advice from a San Diego County nursing home abuse lawyer as soon as possible. You should also follow these steps to protect your loved one’s ability to seek compensation through a nursing home abuse claim/
Document the Injury and the Area Where it Happened
First, you should document the injury as best as you can, including the place or area where it happened. If an elderly relative has obvious physical signs of an injury, you should photograph them, and you should also take pictures of the area where the injury occurred. Documenting the scene may be able to show that the facility failed to take necessary steps to keep your loved one safe.
Report the Injury to the Facility in Writing
You should report the injury to the facility in writing, and you should ask for information about your loved one’s injuries. Your attorney can evaluate the information provided by the facility and can help you to determine whether your loved one’s injuries may have resulted from nursing home abuse or neglect.
File a Report with the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program or Another Agency or Entity
Although recent studies and reports have shown that nursing home abuse claims are under-investigated in California and may not always result in appropriate sanctions, it is nonetheless important to report elder abuse so that there is a record. Indeed, when an elderly loved one was injured at a nursing home and you suspect that the injury resulted from nursing home abuse or neglect, it is important to file a report with the appropriate person or entity so that the possibility of abuse can be evaluated and a record can be made.
Where can you file the report or allege abuse? In San Diego County, there are a few different options for reporting suspicions of elder abuse or neglect. The California Department of Aging indicates that you can contact Adult Protective Services, your local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, the local sheriff’s department or police department, or the California Department of Social Services.
Seek Advice From a San Diego County Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
If you have any questions about filing a nursing home abuse claim, or if you want an experienced San Diego County nursing home abuse lawyer to assess your case, our firm can help. We know it can be difficult to begin taking steps to file a claim against a nursing home when you are not absolutely certain that your loved one’s injury was the result of abuse or neglect. However, it is always better to be safe than sorry, and our firm can evaluate the case and help you to determine whether the nursing home may be liable for damages if you file a lawsuit. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we can assist you.
See Related Blog Posts:
How Can I Identify a Safe Nursing Home in Orange County?
Alzheimer’s Disease and Nursing Home Abuse in Riverside County: Five Things to Know
