Author: Michael

Elderly Citizens could be the Victim of Improper Restraints

There are times in the Los Angeles nursing home that a patient may need to be restrained when acting out that could harm themselves or other nursing home residents and the use of restraints might be necessary at times for Alzheimer disease.

There are times that restrains need to be used for some people, like during a seizure or when a patient is mentally confused and could be hurt. There are times when the use of restraints is abused and the person is injured. There are times in the Los Angeles nursing home that a patient may need to be restrained when acting out that could harm themselves or other nursing home residents and the use of restraints might be necessary at times for Alzheimer disease. This is not always the case unfortunately; there are some reasons that are made up by the nursing home staff for improper restraint of a patient. When restraints are improperly used by the nursing home staff it can be elder abuse and injuries can occur. The use of improper restraints by a nursing home makes them liable for any physical, emotional or metal damage that the elderly victim suffers.

The Effects of Improper Restraints

When most people think of improper restraints they think of limited force or straps on a bed that are used to hold the person to the bed, but improper restraint can also include chemicals or medications used to sedate. The use of restraint is one of the procedures that can turn into elder abuse quickly. This is because when an elderly nursing home resident is deeply sedated for the wrong reasons it is illegal and is nursing home abuse. This is an inhumane treatment of an elderly person and can cause injuries, dehydration and malnutrition.

When a patient is improperly restrained there can be injuries and immediate bruising to the body. This type of restraint can also cause future injuries and infections, when the elderly nursing home resident is left restrained for a long time without being moved blisters and bed sores can develop. The skin can also be cut when trying to become free of the restraints. When an elderly nursing home resident is left restrained to their bed several days this is improper restraint and the nursing home can be held liable. The elderly nursing home patient that is restrained by chemicals or medication for too long has a risk of suffering brain damage or going into a coma. They also have a high risk of bowel and bladder infections that can result from improper restraints when left for an extended amount of time without being changed or allowed to use the bathroom.

Consulting with an Improper Restraints Lawyer

If the elderly loved one that is a resident of a nursing home and has been improperly restrained for the convenience of the nursing home staff instead of a medical reason this is elder negligence. The nursing home can and should be held liable for this type of elder abuse when improper restraint is used as a punishment or for wrongful causes by the nursing staff or doctors. The family needs to protect their elderly loved one when they have been improperly restrained with the assistance of the improper restraints attorney.

To speak with our Improper Restraints Attorney they can be reached at 888-400-9721.

Beware of Financial Elder Abuse

Financial elder abuse can be distressing to the elderly person and their family, it can cause emotional stress, cause the loss of their estate and their credit score.

Financial elder abuse can happen and this is defined as any type of abuse of authority or the use of real personal property belonging to an elderly person. Financial elder abuse can be distressing to the elderly person and their family, it can cause emotional stress, cause the loss of their estate and their credit score. Financial elder abuse often is at the hands of a paid care taker or family member that convinces or forces the elderly person to use money, savings, savings bonds, assets and property that they would normally not use. One of the things that can also occur to the elderly person is financial abuse that involves embezzlement or money laundering that occurs without the knowledge of the elderly person.

Types of Financial Elder Abuse

There are many forms that financial elder abuse can take and some of these can include: fraud, theft, embezzlement and forgery of signatures. The forgery of signatures can include alterations of wills and inheritance documents and other forged documents, financial elder abuse of Medicare or the Medi-Cal System. The elderly person that is taken advantage of is a victim of financial elder abuse, even if it is at a store or convinced to purchase unneeded home repairs or other goods.

Consulting a Financial Elder Abuse Lawyer

When an elderly family member has been taken advantage of they are often unaware or they are forced or coerced into spending money, savings or assets they would not normally have spent. This can be emotionally upsetting to the elderly family member and the family. It can also be detrimental to the financial stability of the elderly resident. If you believe your elderly loved one has been a victim of financial elder abuse by a paid care taker, family attorney, estate manager, nursing home facility or any other party, one way to relieve the emotional stress is to speak with a financial elder abuse attorney to protect the elderly family members rights.

To speak with a dedicated financial elder abuse lawyer with the experience needed our attorneys can be reached at 888-400-9721.

Unexplained Bruising

The Los Angeles elder abuse attorney can protect the elderly loved ones rights and hold the nursing home responsible, but even more this can ensure the elderly nursing home resident is living in a safe environment.

Unexplained bruising can occur, but when it is on an elderly resident it can be from causes other than the slight bump into an object that causes a slight bruise. The elderly person in a nursing home that has bruises often or in certain locations can be abused. Elder abuse takes many different forms and the marks of unexplained bruises and when the bruises are located on the wrists and ankles that could be from the elderly family member suffering the nursing home abuse of being improperly restrained to their bed. Improperly being restrained can leave bruises, cause pain and if it is done at night it restricts the elderly person from using the restroom.

This can result in them getting bowel or bladder infections. This can be an especially dangerous type of elder abuse if the nursing home patient is improperly restrained and has diabetes as it can cause nerve damage. This is also degrading for the elderly person if the cause of the bruises is from being improperly restrained. There are other forms of elder abuse that can also cause unexplained bruising when a nursing home staff member is to rough with the elderly person and this can be a dangerous situation. Unexplained bruises from physical or sexual abuse are criminal and the abuser should be held responsible. These types of abuse might not only be seen in unexplained bruising, but also depression, fear of being touched and a change in mental status.

Consult Elder Abuse Attorney in California, S.F. or Los Angeles, When there are Unexplained Bruises

When there are unexplained bruises on an elderly loved one it is important to investigate the situation and it is important to hold the nursing home responsible. This is degrading for the elderly person that has been improperly restrained and developed bruises and when it is from other types of abuse the nursing home and nursing staff needs to be held responsible. The elder abuse attorney can protect the elderly loved ones rights and hold the nursing home responsible, but even more this can ensure the elderly nursing home resident is living in a safe environment.

To speak with an attorney contact them at 888-400-9721.

Elderly Fractures & Broken Bones

This is a form of elder abuse when the nursing home does not take steps to prevent falls and injuries.

Elderly can Suffer Fractures and Broken Bones

Broken bones from negligence.
Michael Ehline, nursing care attorney discusses fractures in health facilities.

By California elder abuse lawyer, Michael P. Ehline, Esq. – The senior nursing home resident can suffer fractures and broken bones when the nursing home does not prevent their patients from falling or bumping into things by taking precautionary measures. This is a form of elder abuse because the care facility does not take steps to prevent falls and injuries. The saddest part of this for many of the elderly nursing home residents is that they suffer more injuries after they have become a resident of a nursing home than before they lived there.

Causes of Elderly Fractures

There are some causes of elderly fractures that nationwide research has shown, are common reasons. There are an estimated 50 percent of nursing home residents that fall every year according to statistics. The injuries the elderly person is at risk for during a slip and fall accident is worse than younger people that fall in most cases.

These can be serious elderly slip and fall accidents causing fractures and other injuries like:

  • The most common is hip fractures when an elderly person slips and falls
  • Skull fractures
  • Shoulder fractures
  • Knee fractures

Negligence, lack of proper supervision and hazardous conditions are usually at fault. The elderly nursing home resident might get blamed for the fall, rather than being the injured victim. There are places or items in the nursing home that can pose a threat to the elderly if not fitted to their needs.

These can include:

  • Improper bed or chair height
  • Dim lighting
  • Improperly fitted wheelchairs or lack of wheelchair maintenance
  • Wet floors
  • Broken stairs or uneven walkways

Health, Fractures and Injuries

Fractures and injuries can occur due to care takers that are breaking the law, in the way they care for the dependent resident, and their health that has then been neglected as a result. The elderly person who is in poor health due to dehydration, malnutrition, muscle weakness and exhaustion are more at risk for series injuries in a slip and fall accident. The elderly nursing home resident is also at risk for serious infection if the healing process of the fracture takes too long and can even cause death.

What to do When an Elderly Loved One has been Injured

When an elderly loved one is a resident it can be stressful and emotionally difficult. When they have a slip and fall fracture or repeated falls the nursing home can be at fault. It is their duty to provide care for their elderly nursing home residents in a way that they are safe. Any type of fractures or poor health can be nursing home negligence and they need to be held responsible. The elder fracture injury attorney has the dedication and experience it takes to hold the nursing home liable for their actions, the pain and stress it has caused.

For a consultation with our Los Angeles Elder Fracture Attorneys, today call 888-400-9721.

 

Nature of Abuse

We are also a respected Laguna Woods elder abuse attorney. Our attorneys can answer all the questions the family has, while protecting the senior’s rights.

The elderly person that is a resident of a nursing home in Laguna Woods, or some other California city, has needs that must be met that are essential to their health and well being and when these needs are not met it is considered elder abuse or negligence. Abuse and neglect of the elderly in the United States according to the National Center of Elder is the number one type of abuse. The second type of elder abuse is physical elder abuse that is suffered by senior citizens.

The statically data shows that many elder abuse situations go unreported, with an estimated five elderly abuse cases going unreported for every one that is reported to the authorities.

The elder abuse that can occur includes:

  • Threats of assault and battery
  • Physical abuse
  • Rape, recurring sexual molestation or sexual harassment
  • Emotional abuse
  • Verbal abuse
  • Neglect
  • Theft or fraud
  • Imprisonment

These are all forms of elder  abuse or neglect, along with any other form of abuse the elderly victim might suffer.

Getting Legal Help for the Elderly Loved One

Contacting the proper authorities is important when there is elder abuse and it is important to have the representation of an experienced attorney.  We are also a respected Laguna Woods elder abuse attorney. Our attorneys can answer all the questions the family has, while protecting the senior’s rights. The elderly abuse and neglect claim can be difficult to prove and that is why the family needs a lawyer that specializes in elder abuse and neglect. To contact our elder abuse attorneys they can be reached at 888-400-9721.

Elder Abuse Explained

There can be more than one form of elderly abuse or neglect the elderly person can face.

Elder abuse is the misconduct or wrongful treatment of an elderly person and is not limited to physical abuse. Elder abuse can include emotional and financial abuse or neglect. Elder abuse can happen in any home, nursing home or medical care facility. Elder abuse or neglect is not just something that occurs in lower income households, but can occur in middle or upper income households by employed care takers or the nursing home staff.

In some instances it is family members or close friends that can be responsible for elder abuse and neglect. This is difficult to accept or understand by the elderly person or family members that have been wronged by another family member or friend.

Types Of Elderly Abuse

There are different forms of elderly abuse the senior citizen can suffer.
Mental and Emotional Abuse: Mental and emotional abuse can be seen in the form of depression, unexplained mood changes, being withdrawn or the fear of being touched and being distant. This is a type of abuse that the elderly person can suffer when the elderly person is manipulated by domineering conduct or communication imposed by the family or care taker. Elder abuse can be public humiliation, fear instilled by a family member or care taker, or confusion that is instilled.

Neglect: Neglect can be when the immediate needs of the elderly person are not provided as a standard care of basic needs. Neglect can be the failure to provide the elderly person with quality living conditions in the nursing home or household, personal hygiene, inappropriate food handling or preparation and medications that are proper care.

Physical Abuse: Physical abuse includes any type of bodily harm to an elderly person that is cared for by a nursing home staff, care taker or family member. This can be in the form of bruises, lacerations, fractures or broken bones, all of which should be taken seriously as a possible form of physical abuse.

Financial Abuse: Financial abuse of an elderly person is the abuse of power over their money management, property and assets.

Consulting the Abuse Attorney

When there is a form of elder abuse to an elderly loved one or friend by the nursing home or care taker legal representation should be immediate to protect the elderly person’s rights. There can be more than one form of elderly abuse or neglect the elderly person can face.

Our Los Angeles & O.C. elder abuse attorneys are able to provide the legal counsel necessary and can protect the elderly loved ones rights and get the compensation they deserve for enduring elder abuse or neglect at the hands of someone empowered to care for them. To contact the elder abuse attorneys call 888-400-9721.

Dehydration is Serious for the Elderly

Our attorneys are experienced and committed to fight for the rights of the elderly nursing home patient.

The human body needs a certain amount of liquids daily to keep from becoming dehydration and the lack of water or liquids can cause dehydration. Dehydration is a serious condition and it is easy for an elderly nursing home patient to become dehydrated when not given the proper amount of liquids or water daily. There are nursing home patients that do suffer from dehydration and it is not due to a water shortage, which means it should not occur.

Nursing homes are legally accountable for the health and well being of the elderly resident and this includes being responsible for dehydration. The lack of proper care by the nursing home staff or physicians is elder abuse and the elderly patient is the one to suffer from the lack of care. Dehydration is dangerous for the body and can lead to both physical damage and critical injuries. In the victim it can contribute to injuries from falls, it can cause the person to be week and very tired and can even lead to bed sores and other health conditions.

Holding the Nursing Home Accountable

The Los Angeles, San Francisco, Riverside, or Orange County nursing homes are responsible for the care of their residents or patients and should be held responsible when a loved one has become the victim of dehydration. The nursing home can and should be held legally accountable and not left to go unpunished. The family has the right to file a California dehydration legal suit on behalf of their elderly loved one that has suffered from dehydration, because this is nursing home abuse.

The way to hold the nursing home responsible and to ensure your loved one is properly cared for in a nursing home facility is to consult a California, dehydration lawyer. Our attorneys are experienced and committed to fight for the rights of the elderly nursing home patient. This takes the stress off of the family while protecting the elderly loved ones rights with attorneys that will handle the legal aspects that can be daunting.
To speak with an experienced and committed attorney at 888-400-9721.

The Causes of Burn and Heat Injuries to the Elderly

The elderly person that is burned by scalding hot liquids like coffee or tea, scalded by food or bath water it is important to investigate the circumstances surrounding the burn injury accident.

There are accidents that occur in San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles nursing homes that could be prevented and burns and heat injuries are often one of them. The elderly person that is burned by scalding hot liquids like coffee or tea, scalded by food or bath water it is important to investigate the circumstances surrounding the burn injury accident. When negligence plays a part in this type of elder accident the nursing home is liable for the elderly victims injuries and should be held responsible.

Burn injuries are painful and can be a long term injury requiring medical treatment such as skin grafts that can be frightening and painful for the elderly burn victim. This is a serious injury for the elderly nursing home resident and one that can be stressful for the family or devastating for the family if the elderly loved one dies during treatment for a burn injury.

Burn Injuries and their Causes

Elderly burn and heat injuries can be caused by numerous issues in the Los Angeles, or San Francisco, Orange County and San Diego nursing home setting, such as:

  • Violating the California Health Codes that puts the elderly nursing home resident at risk of fire or the inability to escape a fire.
  • The failure to diagnose the mental or brain deterioration that would leave the elderly patient to not be aware of liquids, foods or bath water that is too hot for their body.
  • The improperly trained nursing home staff that provides coffee, tea or other hot liquids to elderly nursing home residents that result in serious burns.
  • Physical elder abuse with hot baths that are forced or the elderly patient being held in scalding water.

Contacting the Burn and Heat Injury Attorney

Contacting the burn and heat injury attorney is important after a nursing home resident has become the victim of an elder burn injury. The negligence of the caregiver is responsible for their care and should be held responsible for this type of injury while under their care. If an elderly loved one has been the victim of a burn and heat injury this is nursing home abuse and our attorneys are able to help file a legal claim to hold the nursing home responsible.

Our attorneys can be reached at 888-400-9721 to assist the family of an elderly burn and heat injury.

Caregiver Negligence Causes Bowel and Bladder Injuries

Our Los Angeles bowel and bladder injury attorneys fight to protect the rights of the elderly and are committed to hold nursing homes responsible for their actions of elder negligence.

Infections can be serious, especially for the elderly person that has a bowel or bladder infection. The question is, could it have been prevented with proper care by the nursing home staff or physician and why wasn’t it prevented. The bowel and bladder infection is serious for the elderly patient and can cause other serious infections, disease and even death.

There are reasons that bowel and bladder infections occur, the bowel infection can occur due to improper amounts of water and nutrients given to the elderly patient. Bladder infections can occur from the failure to use the restroom in a suitable time frame. The elderly patient that does not have clothing, bedding or the adult diaper changed will contract an infection of some form.

The elderly can face these risks due to the demand on the nursing home staff, inexperienced staff and the availability of aids. There are some circumstances that can lead to bowel or bladder infections, such as the elderly patient that is not helped to the bathroom and instead forced to sit in their own feces or the elderly person that is unable to sleep without an adult diaper that is not checked on often by the nursing staff. These situations can result in a bowel and bladder infection for the elderly nursing home patient that can become serious.

Bowel and Bladder Injury Attorneys Protecting Elderly Nursing Home Residents

The elderly person suffering from a bowel and bladder infection could be the victim of nursing home negligence and this is grounds for a legal suit. Filing a legal claim against negligent party means they will be held responsible for their lack of care of the elderly patient. Our bowel and bladder injury advocates fight to protect the rights of the elderly and are committed to hold nursing homes responsible for their actions of elder negligence. Our Bowel and Bladder Injury Attorneys can be reached for a consultation at 888-400-9721.

Nursing Home Abuse and Bedsores

The bed sore is usually clear evidence the nursing home is negligent in providing the adequate amount of care the elderly resident needs.

It is often necessary when an elderly loved one is no longer able to live on their own or to take care of themselves it is a difficult time for the family and a decision about a care taker must be made. The decision to place an elderly loved one in a nursing home can be a stressful time and placing them in a nursing home the family expects only the best care to be provided. After placing an elderly loved one in a nursing home and become aware they have become a victim of nursing home abuse and sustained injuries in the form of bed sores it is not unusual to have anger and anxiety over the situation.

Bed sores occur when a person is forced by health or other reasons to remain in bed for a long period of time. These are also known as pressure sores that occur usually on certain parts of the body. Bed sores are painful and contaminating, which are in the form of a blister type of sore that opens. They are caused by tissue that has been damaged from lack of proper blood circulation and begin usually as a red spot on the skin, cause by extended lengths of time sitting or lying down without being repositioned by the staff.

The Location of the Bedsores

The location of bed sores on an elder neglect victim is usually on the backside, hips, tailbone, heals of the feet or elbows. The bed sore is normally something that could be prevented with the proper care of the patient and is nursing home negligence. The bed sore is usually clear evidence the nursing home is negligent in providing the adequate amount of care the elderly resident needs.

The Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

The nursing home abuse attorney is committed to fighting for the rights of the elderly nursing home abuse victim and holding them responsible for their actions. When an elderly loved one has suffered neglect that has resulted in a bed sore or other serious injuries they need the representation our dedicated and aggressive attorneys can provide.
Contact our  attorneys at 888-400-9721