Elder Abuse in Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted Living Facilities is a long term housing care option for seniors who need help with their activities of daily living (such as eating and transportation), but do not need the full-fledged daily support of an intensive care provided from a skilled nursing facility; essentially, the option for independence for these seniors remains in Assisted Living Facilities. In the United States, the Assisted Living Facilities is a giant industry, with surges in growth predicted in the coming years as the generation of Baby Boomers is expected to retire.  While this may sound as an attractive type of senior case housing opportunity, there are egregious cases of elder abuse in Assisted Living Facilities that may arise.

            Elder Abuse, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as, is "any abuse and neglect of persons age 60 and older by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust."¹. Elder Abuse in Assisted Living Facilities may take multiple forms:

·        Physical Abuse

·         Neglect/Deprivation

       Physical Abuse:

            Physical abuse occurs when caretakers physically cause pain and harm to the seniors they are supposed to be caring for. Common acts include, but are not limited to: hitting, beating,pinching, and using excessive force. Visible signs of physical abuse include, but are not limited to: bruises, fractures, and sprains.  There are also some additional acts of physical abuse, which are not as common, but still considered physical abuse: inappropriate administration of medication psychotropic drugs and unnecessary restraint.

    Neglect/Deprivation:

            Neglect/Deprivation occurs when caretakers refuse, or simply fail to, care for the senior residents. When seniors develop pressure sores, become dehydrated, or develop health issues that could have been otherwise avoided.

            A great video to watch to learn more about Elder Abuse in assisted living facilities is titled “Life and Death in Assisted Living”, which was produced by Frontline in conjunction with ProPublica in July 30, 2013. This video can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/life-and-death-in-assisted-living/. This video looks into one of the largest assisted living facility chains in the country (“Emeritus”), and reveals startling real-world examples of egregious abuse in assisted living facilities. It is also complemented by a written series, which can be found at http://www.propublica.org/series/life-and-death-in-assisted-living.

To learn more about Elder Abuse in Assisted Living facilities, an assisted living death lawyer may be found through a local county bar association. For any referrals for these assisted living death lawyers, please call Moran Law at 714-549-0333.

What is Elder Abuse?

Every year, thousands of our seniors enter nursing homes and assisted living communities. If you or your loved one has been injured at one of these facilities, contact the top nursing home attorney in California. Aging is a fact of life, fraught with a panoply of incipient challenges. The mind and body deteriorate, and the tasks that were once completed easily, become difficult. Unfortunately, these realities leave the elderly vulnerable to exploitation and mistreatment.

Elder abuse is the mistreatment of a person over the age of 65, or an otherwise dependent adult. If this has happened to you or your loved one, please contact the top nursing home attorney in California. Generally, elder abuse occurs in either domestically or institutionally. If this has happened to you or your loved one in an institution, please contact the top nursing home attorney in California In the domestic setting, the senior is being cared for in his or her home by a caregiver. Domestic elder abuse occurs when a family member or a hired caregiver mistreats the patient.

The other form of elder abuse occurs in an institutional setting, like at a nursing home or assisted living facility. If this has happened to you or your loved one, please contact the top nursing home attorney in California. The staff at nursing homes and other care facilities is obligated by law and/or contract to provide proper treatment and when the staff fails to do so, institutional elder abuse results.

The following are common methods of elder abuse:

•         Physical abuse

•         Sexual abuse

•         Neglect (the most common form of institutional elder abuse)

•         Financial abuse

Each of these methods of elder abuse can take place either domestically or institutionally. For those that have loved ones in a nursing home, it is best to perform a thorough investigation if you suspect elder abuse or neglect.If you suspect that you or your loved one has been neglected, please contact the top nursing home attorney in California.

Common physical signs to look for include unexplained bruises, pressure sores, choking incidents, or unexplained falls. Common emotional signs include a generalized fear or fear of isolation. If you or your loved ones have shown any of these signs, please contact the top nursing home attorney in California.

Remember, the staff at nursing homes has an obligation to properly care for their patients.

Elder abuse and neglect is preventable and unjustifiable. Yet, it remains a prevalent problem in the U.S.  If you or your loved one was a victim of elder abuse while staying in a nursing home, contact the top nursing home attorney in California..  We proudly represent clients in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.  At Moran Law, we fight for your rights and hold wrongdoers accountable.

Handling Elder Abuse with Full Support of Moran Law Firm

What is the meaning of elder abuse? And how does it affect the society? These are two very important questions to answer. What exactly is the meaning of elder abuse? let’s try to find out whether the elders are really getting abused? The answer is A BIG YES.Society takes them as useless crap but they still have soul, feelings, and sense of worth. Our elders get abused by our own society on daily basis. The impact of elder abuse can be drastic if it is triggered by an unprofessional approach of a health professional such as nursing home caregiver. Often times, we are forced to admit our elder fellow in a nursing home because we can no longer take care of him on our own.

Unfortunately, these types of abuses are very common nowadays.Its unpleasant, shocking and almost unfathomable as well.Whether the caregivers intentionally or unintentionally neglect them, they are supposed to be held accountable. The authorities have enacted wide range of laws; still this hidden crime unleashes itself in various forms. Remember, if your elder is on severe medical conditions, you need to stay ultra-alert for any suspicious home nursing abuse. In most cases, the sufferers are not able to protest and express their inside frustration to the concerned authorities. As it is very hard to sense and the victims are often speechless, the family members avoid filing suit against the culprit. If you are one of them then we have a good news for you. You can easily contact Moran Elder Law and they will report the incidence by filling suit against the nursing home right away.

Obtaining the support of a reputed and professional organization will make this seemingly hot-potato job easier than ever before. Building up a case against an institute is not an easy task for an individual but Moran Law firm has been dealing these types of cases for 20 long years. Their legal attorneys are relentlessly serving victim families in identifying and isolating different shades of this hidden crime. This crime is usually activated by verbal abuse including harassing, embarrassing, and threatening statements. These types of patronizing and humiliating statements falls into emotional neglect that surely demoralize and undermines the victims confidence in return. Another form of elder abuse embroils misuse of restraints without any valid purpose. The restraints can be physical as well as via medication. The third shade of this hidden crime involves restriction against basic dietary supplies such as food, water, bathing facilities etc. Another type of hidden abuse entails medical neglect i.e. not providing the preferred medical care to the victim or ignoring his medication and medical requirements altogether.

By contacting Moran Elder Law, you are not only helping yourself but also dozens of other families out there as well.Most of the people are not responsive to the pointers of elder abuse but at whatever time you see signs of abuse, you must report Moran Law Firm. They will take the whole responsibility of identifying the potential abuse and filing suit against nursing staff on your behalf. Their best team of skilled lawyers can tackle any type of elder abuse situation. If you feel like the staff has offended your elder fellow, maltreated, or neglected, then the niftiest thing you can do is to contact us instantly. Our legal staff can better contend your case in the court of law. This is perhaps the finest decision you will make to protect your elder from further abuse. The victim will be appropriately compensated for pain, lesion, and suffering. Hire Moran Law elder abuse attorney and leave the rest on their shoulders.

Do not think about Do’s and Don'ts

Moran law is a reputed law firm known for protecting the abused and neglected people especially in nursing homes. It is the best available institute in the state of California perfectly armed with skilled law force. You can count on their professional team of lawyers to protect your elders being abused in nursing homes.

Abusing elders is actually one of the major problems of our society not only in nursing homes but almost everywhere. In fact, there are so many government acts and laws to protect the elders from being abused, yet these people continuously gets abused due to negligence and carelessness. This is where an institute like Moran Law comes into play. They make sure that this group of people who need the support of society more than anybody else are not neglected at any level.

The objectives of Moran Law firm revolves around protecting the victims and their tense families. They do not just focus on the end result of an abuse. In fact Moran Law firm primarily focusses on preventing such activities before they happen. Anyone can hire their attorneys to check weather his elder loved one is under any kind of abuse or negligence. The lawyers of Moran Elder Law apply methods to make sure that your loved ones receive proper attention &the best possible care. They have been impeccably serving the victims and their families for 20 long years.

Actually at times, some caregivers at nursing homes make an opinion that elders are just expired items. Therefore, they don’t look after them carefully and don’t treat them as they should be. To be very honest, elders should be treated with more care and protection than anyone else should. If we do not take care of our elders, how can we ensure our safe future?The nursing home caregivers should treat these helpless and defence less folks with more care and attention. Negligence from their side shows their lack of responsibility. It is just like breaking code of ethics in their profession. At least the nursing staff should be honest to their profession especially when precious lives are involved. Unfortunately, at times, they do not pay the required attention that results in complications and even wrongful deaths of the patients.

To prevent such brutal careless attitude, you need to hire the attorneys of a reputed law firm such as Moran Law firm. Don't worry about how to proceed your case, how to collect evidence or something like that.Their attorneys will assist you from start till end. They will collect every bit of evidence regarding your case and nothing will go unnoticed.

Our legal experts can classify the physical spots on the patients body that are easier to notice. The skin of patient usually respond to physical exploitations such as bruising, cuts and other natures of skin marks. Attorneys of Moran Elder Law will also meet the victim in-person to recognize their emotional behaviour particularly when they are being treated by the nursing staff. If the patient reveals any abnormal symptoms such as nail biting for the duration of their dialogue with nursing staff, it discloses that he/she is uncomfortable. Perhaps you are baffled about how to proceed the case because of complexity involved but we can guarantee you that our skilled attorney is master of fighting such wrongful events and you should immediately consult them. He will also strive for ample financial compensation whilst bringing the criminals to justice too.Our legal experts will make sure that your constitutional rights and civil rights are carefully looked after. Remember that after filing the suit, you need to present your case spotlessly and this is only thinkable when you contact Moran Elder Law and give them the honour to serve you at their best.

Beware from Choke Inside Nursing Home

If your elderly fellow dies inside a nursing home then you need to ascertain whether he or she died naturally or due to negligence. In this regard, note down that if he died because of breathlessness through blockage of throat then it might be due to negligence or carelessness resulting in life threatening choke. The nursing staff may try to hide this confusion but they cannot hide it from Moran Elder Law. If you are also uncertain about cause of death of your loved one, just give us a call and our legal expert will knock your door in moments.

Our Legal attorney can Unearth choke: our legal expert will seek evidence whether the death triggered due to restriction of the throat or an inside blockage. If it is true then he will file suit against the culprit staff who actually prevented your elderly fellow from breathing. The actual squeezing of the throat occurred due to their carelessness and irresponsibility. Most of the patients who have trouble in swallowing and chewing are vulnerable to choke. It is an obligation of the nursing staff to help them by preventing big food particles entering their mouth. They need to cut the food particles for easy chewing and swallowing. If they do not do that, the patient is likely to experience life threatening choke and a painful death in return. If you feel like the nursing staff didn’t take preventive measures, never lose heart as we can effectively proceed your case before the court of law. Our legal experts will bring all those negligence parties under justice who played main role in triggering choke. If your loved one died painfully and needlessly then you must bring the guilty to justice. Just call Moran Elder Law and leave the rest on our shoulders.

Never be Afraid from Court of Law

Many people are of the view that they cannot cope with the intricacies involved in the legal system of courts. This is the main reason that they avoid going to the court of law. Even the folks with broken heart, nursing home abuse victims, and families of wrongful death victims avoid filing a suit against guilty as well. The good news for all those silent majority is that now Moran Elder Law is there to help a victim of elder abuse in nursing homes and to ensure proper justice.

You and your elderly fellow can trust our lawyers: do not be afraid of trusting any unknown lawyer because we do have elder abuse professional attorneys who can handle your court cases at their best. The mindset of ignoring your elderly abuse is damaging to all nation. We can definitely help you for the compensation and deserved justice both. Remember, if you keep on ignoring these abuses then the nursing staff will make it a habit and they will display their own shape of justice that is certainly not recommended at all. If you do not hire us to bring them before court of law then they will sidestep the ethics, morals and legal system of law altogether in future. By contacting Moran Elder Law you are not only helping yourself but also hundreds of other families out there as well. If you feel like the staff has victimized your elder fellow, mistreated, or neglected, then the smartest thing you can do is to contact us immediately. Our legal staff can better argue your case in the court of law. This is possibly the best decision you will make to secure your elder from future abuse. Your fellow will be properly compensated for pain, lesion, and suffering.Hire us and never be afraid from court of law.

Basic Guidelines to Prevent Bedsore in Nursing Homes

The bedsore is a kind of skin ulcer that normally target those folks who have been confined to bed for a long time. This type of skin ulcer can hit your elderly loved one especially if heis paralyzed and cannot change positions on his own.This is the reason that admitting him to a nursing home is a good option instead of leaving him unattended at your own home. It is to be mentioned here that the nursing management and staff cannot take a rain check from their responsibilities. www.moranelderlaw.com has trained lawyers who are competent enough toassess whether your loved one was given compulsory attention to avert bedsores or not:

Key prevention techniques: the nursing home staff should give prime attention to elderly patients particularly who cannot change positions on their own. The staff should regularly shift their positions in addition to carefully observing potentially affected areas. They must keep them always clean and should give them good diet. In order to reduce pressure, these patients should be provided bed and chair cushion as well. It is to be noted here that bedsores are quite common in paralyzed patient whose body weight is headed towards specific body sites. The nursing home staff must give special attention to those patients. As a matter of fact, if your elderly patient was infected with bedsores due to possible signs of neglect, you can contact legal experts at www.moranelderlaw.com right away. Our experts will evaluate whether the bedsores were triggered due to unhygienic conditions prevailing in nursing home or because of lack of efforts in taking good care of the patient. If they were unable to keep your elderly fellow clean, or unable to give him or her good hygiene or something like that, our lawyers will definitely bring them to justice.

An Introduction to Horrific Nursing Home Sores

 WHAT ARE NURSING HOME SORES?

Nursing home sores are often synonymous with nursing home pressure sores and nursing home decubitus ulcers.  However, no matter which term is used, they area profound indicator of neglect in nursing homes.         Nursing home sores are not only inordinately painful for the nursing home residents that suffer them, but they can lead to death if they are not timely treated.

                Nursing home sores are caused when there is consistently unrelieved pressure on a local skin area on a nursing home resident, most often when are lying on their bed; this occurs when the resident is left unturned or unmoved for extended periods of time. Most nursing home residents are elderly, and thus maybe handicapped and immobile; they need the help of the nursing staff to reposition themselves. When nursing staff neglect to do this, nursing home sores can happen. Simply put, this leads to skin tissue damage and loss.  These sores develop on the skin areas where the bone prominence and skin are very close together. Some of the commonly most vulnerable areas include: heels, coccyx(tailbone), elbow, and back.

Nursing home sores are categorized into discrete Stages, which inclusively range from I through IV. Nursing home sores can also be “unstageable” or “unclassifiable,” which means the widespread presence of the dead tissue obscures the wound, making it difficult to determine the exact Stage; these unstageable sores will most often be either Stages III or IV though. The following are some elementary indicators of these sores.

                Indicators of Stage I sores:  increased reddening or discoloration of skin
                Indicators of Stage IIsores:  partial loss of the thickness in skin.
                Indicators of Stage IIIsores:  Full loss of skin, showing depth of skin loss, revealing underlying fat.
                Indicators of Stage IV sores: Full loss of skin, now exposing the underlying bone.

               

HOW DO NURSING HOME SORES DEVELOP?

                First and foremost, nursing home sores occur due to lack of movement. Specifically, when nursing home staff fails to timely turn and reposition patients that was in bed, these patients will develop nursing home sores.  When a patient is in that same position for too long, blood flow will be cut due to unrelieved pressure on the local skin area. If this duration is too long, the skin tissue will simply die, and the nursing home sore will develop (or progress in Stage number).

HOW CAN NURSING HOME SORES BE PREVENTED FROM DEVELOPING?

                As discussed earlier, prolonged exposure to the same position can lead a nursing home resident to develop a nursing home sore. Nursing home staffs need to be vigilant and attentive to their residents, and frequently and timely reposition the resident in bed. Adequate skin care, nutrition, and daily exercise are also other important strategies that may help prevent nursing home sores from developing on nursing home residents.

Resources in Selecting a Nursing Home

There may come a time when you will need to place your loved one in a nursing home for long-term care. The process can be overwhelming with so many nursing homes to choose from.  Luckily, there are many resources available to the consumer, including the expertise of a Los Angeles elder abuse attorney, to help guide you in your decision as to which nursing home to place your loved one and fits your needs. A Los Angeles elder abuse attorney who specializes in nursing litigation will be familiar with which nursing homes are involved in the most lawsuits, and which has good or bad reputations. 

To search for a nursing home in a particular area, the following websites allows you to search for nursing homes by zip codes, cities, or counties:

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform 

Medicare.gov

The Center for Medicare Services has created a Five-Star Quality Rating System to assist consumers in selecting a nursing home.  On the Medicare.gov website, each nursing home has a star rating between 1 and 5 stars.  The highest star a nursing home can be given is 5 stars, with 5 indicating that the nursing home is well above average in quality.  The 5-star rating system is based on how well the nursing home scores in each of the following categories: Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures.

The health inspection rating is based on how many citations and deficiencies were issued to the nursing home by the state licensing agency on both standard surveys and complaint surveys over the last 3 years.  In the State of California, the licensing agency that governs nursing homes in California is the California Department of Public Health. 

The staffing rating is based on the number of direct patient care hours on average are provided to each resident each day. In the State of California, the minimum nursing hours per patient per day is 3.2 hours. A nursing home who has residents with higher acuity needs, or requires more nursing care, needs more nursing staff above the 3.2 hours per patient per day, in order to care for the needs of all their residents. 

The last factor in the 5-star rating system is the quality measure rating. The quality measure rating is based on 9 different clinical measures for nursing home residents. The quality measure provides information on how well the nursing home is caring for the resident’s physical and clinical needs.

Although the 5-star rating system is helpful, it is not a substitute for going in and talking to the Administrator or Director of Nursing, and touring the facility for yourself. 

If you have questions and would like to consult with a Los Angeles elder abuse attorney, please contact our firm for a free consultation.