Riverside Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Often, the most vulnerable residents live in nursing homes as the best way to receive professional nursing care to ensure that their health and hygiene requirements are met. Nursing home residents are usually elderly, disabled, weak, or have health conditions that require care and attention.

If you have a family member in a Riverside nursing home, you expect that your loved one is safe and adequately cared for by the staff. We urge you to contact the network of California nursing home abuse attorneys at (800) 926-7565 today for your free consultation.

Schedule a free case evaluation and let us explain your legal options for filing a personal injury claim for compensation. Our Riverside County nursing home abuse attorneys will work to answer any questions you have in a free consultation.

All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

We represent injured nursing home residents and work to get families compensation for damages caused by negligence.

If you have a loved one who has experienced nursing home abuse in Riverside or neighboring local areas like San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Cathedral City, or Lake Elsinore, an experienced nursing home neglect lawyer from our network will provide the best possible representation to you and your family.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 6 people sixty years or older experience abuse in community settings. Nursing home abuse, neglect, and mistreatment remain major problems across our country.

Different resources reveal if assisted care facilities are violating standards of care. On the Medicare website, you can search for facility information and the ratings for each home.

Approximately 26% of the nursing homes in Riverside County have ratings that are below average. If you suspect someone is being abused in an assisted care facility, contact Adult Protective Services at (800) 491-7121.

You should also contact a Riverside nursing home abuse lawyer that can help you with filing a personal injury lawsuit. Negligent parties should be held accountable for elder abuse or neglect in nursing home settings.

Many forms of abuse or neglect can occur in nursing homes and affect patients and dependent adults in various ways. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, elder abuse is an intentional act or failure to act that causes a risk of harm.

Some types of elder abuse in these facilities are listed below.

Physical Abuse

This type of abuse is usually intentional and results in pain and can include kicking, slapping, pinching, shoving, pushing, and choking. Physical restraints can also be a form of physical abuse because they can cause injury and discomfort.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse involves causing emotional pain and suffering in an individual. This type of abuse is more difficult to identify because it leaves no visible marks.

Some types of emotional abuse to an elderly person can include yelling, threatening, intimidating, embarrassing, blaming, ignoring, isolating, and restricting.

Nursing Home Neglect

Neglect in a nursing home is where staff fails to help, care for, and monitor residents who cannot care for themselves. Some common examples of neglect can include ignoring a resident’s complaint or request, allowing them to live in unsanitary conditions, failing to administer medications, and failing to provide water and food.

Neglecting to assist residents with their personal hygiene and other basic needs can result in pain and discomfort. Neglecting the elderly can lead to significant health issues due to their already delicate state.

Sexual Abuse

This type of nursing home abuse is when a perpetrator forces unwanted sexual activity onto another person. This type of abuse can occur as forms of emotional and physical abuse.

Sexual assault can include unwelcome toughing or even masturbation in front of an unwilling resident. These types of unwanted advances are likely to occur because nursing home patients are vulnerable and may not be able to give consent.

Victims of sexual abuse are often affected both physically and emotionally.

Financial Abuse

Senior citizens are at a high risk of financial exploitation due to a decline in cognitive abilities. Family and friends may abuse an elder or dependent adult in this manner, but there are ways that a nursing home can do this, as well.

They may increase facility fees, change the types of treatments given, or outright steal money or property from the patient. If you see these signs of financial abuse, you should report the activity to the proper authorities and hire an attorney for legal help.

Physical and emotional abuse will adversely affect patients in nursing facilities. It is crucial for staff to pay attention to changes in mood and health that may indicate that something is wrong.

The family can also identify signs of abuse by visiting with the patient and seeing how they interact with the staff. If a family member of a resident sees noticeable differences in their loved one, they should ask questions to try and determine the causes.

Some common signs that an elder may be experiencing emotional or physical abuse include:

• Weight loss
• Bruising
• Open wounds, cuts
• Burns
• Skin discoloration
• Infections
• Bedsores
• Broken bones
• Vaginal bleeding
• Poor personal hygiene
• Dirty clothing
• Visible health and safety hazards
• Signs of dehydration
• Upset or angry emotions
• Withdrawn
• Nervousness

Most patients in any nursing facility are elderly and require help taking care of basic needs such as bathing and eating. The senior citizens at assisted living facilities are already vulnerable and at high risk of health conditions and complications.

Assisted living facilities must develop individualized care plans to ensure the residents receive proper treatment and avoid accidents. In nursing homes with inadequate staff, there is a higher chance of risking patient safety.

Most times, the nursing home abuse, neglect, or mistreatment is intentional, but some factors contribute to unintentional causes of neglect and abuse. Some common causes of abuse in nursing homes are understaffed facilities and staff not adequately trained.

Hiring Unqualified Nursing Home Staff Members

An assisted living facility must hire people who are qualified to perform the duties that are required. Residents have special dietary requirements and are on certain medications.

The people working with these individuals need the proper training to handle situations with care. If employees are hired without the qualifications required, they need to undergo thorough training and receive the certifications to perform work at a nursing home.

Understaffed Facilities Increase Risk of Nursing Home Abuse

Staff is more likely to neglect residents if there are not enough people on hand to care for the patients. Understaffed nursing homes are a serious concern that contributes to nursing home abuse in Riverside County.

California requires at least 3.2 hours of nursing care per resident daily at nursing home facilities. Monitoring the residents to make sure they are moving around with assistance or getting help with personal hygiene is crucial in preventing bedsores, infections, and discomfort.

Inadequate facility staffing is dangerous to the residents and should not be allowed. Many nursing facilities do not report accurate staff numbers working every day, making it difficult to know where more employees are needed.

Failure to Monitor Nursing Home Staff

There are requirements that all nursing homes must follow to perform a certain standard of care. All facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid must follow strict rules and regulations.

Staff must post how many registered nurses and specialists are on duty daily in a visible area. Facilities must undergo inspections during “off hours” to review the facilities.

There have also been many cases where the employees do not record information accurately. During inspections, this discrepancy is found when comparing the records to the payroll records.

Apart from these inaccuracies, inspections can also reveal that there are unsanitary conditions. Many believe that the employees' inspections and monitoring should occur more often for patients’ safety.

Failure to report accurate conditions and monitor the staff increases the risk of nursing home abuse. Unfortunately, many facilities do not perform to the required standards, and family needs to make an effort to ensure their loved one is not suffering from negligence.

Errors In Treatment and Care

Senior citizens have various health conditions and are on different kinds of medication. An error in giving medication or any other treatment to a patient can result in serious issues.

Doctors’ orders must be carried out accordingly by the nursing staff. Failure of the doctor or medical personnel to review medical history thoroughly in nursing home patients or perform treatment necessary is considered negligence.

Nursing home abuse continues to be a major problem in Riverside County, and there are steps you can take if your family is experiencing this type of negligence.

If you notice that your family member is experiencing some signs of abuse, you can confront the nursing home facility and file a complaint. Sometimes the signals may be severe or dangerous, and you may want to report the possibility of abuse to law enforcement.

An investigation into the abuse will be performed, and the nursing home will likely face the consequences for any violations found. You may also choose to take your loved one out of that facility and relocate them to a better place.

You should also gather all information about the facility, take photos of the signs of abuse you find, and document any concerns. This information will help your Riverside County abuse and neglect attorney with the case.

Your abuse and neglect attorney will further investigate and can help you file a lawsuit against the responsible parties so that your family can get the compensation they deserve.

Many forms of abuse or neglect can be life-threatening. Negligence in nursing home facilities has led to many cases of death that could have been prevented.

You should consult a wrongful death attorney if your loved one has passed away due to negligent care. You will also want to gather as much information as possible to assist an attorney with their investigation.

Family members can file a wrongful death claim to receive compensation for damages, funeral costs, emotional trauma, etc. Your attorney can assist in filing a lawsuit against the responsible parties.

The statute of limitations in California to file a wrongful death claim is two years. Contact an attorney for the negligence claim immediately to ensure a lawsuit is filed before the deadline.

Any nursing home resident experiencing abuse will need additional care and treatment for consequences caused by the negligence. If a resident falls due to being neglected by staff, they may have broken or fractured bones which may require surgery, therapy, and other types of treatment.

Emotional abuse and trauma may also require different forms of therapy and treatment. Hiring a nursing home abuse attorney will help you get compensation for medical bills, future medical expenses, and assistive devices.

There are also forms of compensation you may receive which are non-monetary. The compensation could include pain and suffering, a decline in quality of life, and inconvenience.

Depending on the type of negligence in an investigation, the negligent party may face both civil and criminal charges. In California, if there is evidence that the defendant is guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice, your family may also be awarded punitive damages.

A free consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer will allow you and your family to know what types of compensation are available in your case.

The affiliate Riverside nursing home lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center LLC can ensure your loved one's rights are protected and assist in returning the dignity and respect every human is due. We serve elder abuse victims in Riverside County, San Diego, and Southern California in personal injury cases.

Our home abuse and neglect lawyer network takes every step possible to gather evidence, investigate the claim, and build a case to hold every party legally at fault, both financially and lawfully liable. Successfully resolving the matter requires time and dedication, especially if the senior care home victim has difficulty articulating or remembering what happened.

Through our comprehension of California tort laws, we compassionately guide our clients and family members through the personal injury legal process while serving as aggressive advocates during a challenging and painful time.

We provide a free consultation to all personal injury and elder abuse victims who require representation and options. We encourage you to contact our affiliate San Diego elder abuse law offices by calling (800) 926-7565 today to schedule your free case evaluation. No upfront fees are required.

All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Resources:

• California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform - Standards of Care
• Kaiser Family Foundation - Nursing Home Inspections
• gov - Comparing Facilities