Nursing homes are designed to provide top-quality and professional care to elderly residents. Families trust their loved ones will be well taken care of as these facilities must keep seniors safe and healthy. Family members often don’t have a choice and need to place their elderly relative in a nursing home due to physical or mental conditions that require around the clock care.

Your elderly relative may be at risk of abuse and nursing home neglect. The Law Offices of Jacobson & Associates has recovered millions of dollars for families who have been affected by the unacceptable act of nursing home abuse. If you suspect your loved one is being abused or neglected in their nursing home or assisted living facility in Los Angeles, CA call our nursing home abuse attorneys immediately at 1-800-529-7910 for a free consultation.

Sadly, nursing home patients are among the most vulnerable individuals in our society, depending on others to keep them safe. Yet they are abused and neglected the most by caretakers at nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Unfortunately, there has been an increase in residents being seriously injured or dying, and these incidents are being traced back to nursing homes. According to , ”1 in 6 people 60 years and older experienced some form of abuse in community settings during the past year.” And even more sickening, 2 in 3 staff members have reported they have committed abuse in the past year.

There are many aspects to abuse and neglect in nursing homes, and you need to understand the realm of these details to assist you with your nursing home abuse claim.

• What is Nursing Home Negligence
• Types of Nursing Home Neglect
•  Causes of Nursing Home Neglect And Abuse
• How To Recognize Neglect and Abuse In Nursing Homes
• Proving Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
• How The Law Offices of Jacobson & Associates Can Help

What is Nursing Home Negligence?

Staff members of nursing homes have a duty to provide adequate care to residents, and when they fail to provide such care its called nursing home neglect.  If your loved one has or is experiencing nursing home neglect, you may have a claim against the nursing home itself or staff member. Although neglect may not seem as severe as elder abuse, it can be just as harmful to seniors’ physical and psychological health.

Types Of Abuse in Nursing Homes

• Emotional abuse
• Financial exploiting
• Verbal abuse
• Physical harm
• Neglect
• Sexual abuse

 Causes of Nursing Home Neglect And Abuse

While most nursing homes uphold their duty to provide quality care to their residents, some nursing homes hire inexperienced employees or are understaffed. According to the National Center for Elder Abuse (NCEA), roughly 95% of nursing home residents have been neglected or witnessed neglect.

Neglect can be intentional or unintentional. In some instances, residents of nursing homes can be difficult, which leads to staff members avoiding them. This is not an excuse for neglect. In most cases, there is a combination of circumstances that results in unintentional neglect.

• Under qualified or poorly trained staff members
• Overworked staff
• Understaffed
• Residents who isolate themselves
• Elders who are afraid or incapable of reporting neglect
• Don´t be mislead. The attention you witness your loved one receiving in their nursing home may not be the same attention they are receiving while you are not present.

If you suspect your loved one is being neglected or abused, consider it an emergency. When elders are not receiving proper care, their health can decline rapidly with irreversible effects and can lead to wrongful death. Such negligence, like infections, accidents, malnutrition, and dehydration, can be particularly dangerous for someone who relies on others’ help to survive.

How To Recognize Negligence And Abuse In A Nursing Home

Like many things, detecting nursing home abuse can be tricky because the warning signs are not always present. However, if you are educated on what to look for, you can be the one to end it for your loved one before it is too late. Unfortunately, elders who suffer from mental and physical ailments are typically more at risk of abuse because it is harder for them to speak up.

Regardless of their ailment, there are warning signs and steps to follow to ensure your loved one is safe. Below, The Law Offices of Jacobson & Associates has outlined warning signs of abuse. If you observe any of these, you need to take immediate action. 

Emotional Changes

• Fear
• Anti-social
• Complaining of poor treatment
• Crying often

Physical Injuries

• Unexplained bruising
• Injuries to their head
• Bed Sores
• Broken Bones
• Sudden weight loss
• Theft of personal items

Neglect

• Malnourished
• Dehydrated
• Inattentive staff
• Bedsores
• Poor hygiene

 How to Prove Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

There are several things you can do if you suspect your loved one is being neglected or abused. In California, the Statute of Limitations gives you two years from the date of the incident. Under California law, abuse or neglect can be both criminal and civil offences. If the warning signs are there, here are the steps you should follow:

1. Ensure your loved one is safe and remove them if deemed necessary. If it is an emergency call 911, if it a non emergency contact your local law enforcement.
2. Speak to your loved one. Ask if they were hurt, feel threatened, neglected, experiencing abuse, etc. Often they may feel embarrassed and not speak up. Trust your instinct
3. Speak to the nursing home administrators
4. Document everything, including all the conversations you have had with your loved one and administrators.
5. Know your loved one’s rights
6. File a complaint
7. Contact a nursing home abuse attorney in California.

How Can The Law Offices of Jacobson & Associates Help In A Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit?

Our team of experienced lawyers knows the law and the rights of your loved one. Nobody, especially, our beloved elders, should fall victim to abuse and neglect. We can help you gather evidence for your testimony, including:

Personal records. Unfortunately, we often find their charts are falsified and missing as well as late entries

Photographs. Any evidence of their physical injuries during their time at the nursing home

Witness testimony.  This can be statements from former employees, present employees, visitors, or other elder residents.

If you suspect your loved one has or is experiencing abuse or neglect in their nursing home, contact The Law Offices of Jacobson & Associates. We have years documenting success for our vulnerable nursing home patients, and we refuse to let anyone who harms them get away with it. We fight aggressively for all our clients and ensure the victims get the deserved justice and compensation. Contact us at 1-800-529-7910 for a free consultation or fill out our contact form. We service clients throughout California, including Los Angeles and the surrounding counties.