It may be a difficult time when you decide to place your loved one in a nursing home. But what may give you comfort is knowing that they are in the caring hands of nurses. So when these nurses or other staff do not properly care for your loved one, the realization can be devastating. Read on to discover what is considered nursing home abuse and how a seasoned California nursing home abuse lawyer at Cowdrey & Jenkins LLP can help protect your loved one.
What is a nursing home?
Primarily, a nursing home is a type of residential care facility for those who are elderly. More specifically, this facility is for the elderly that do not necessarily need to be in a hospital but cannot be cared for at home. So, nurses at this facility provide the healthcare they require on a day-to-day basis.
What is considered nursing home abuse in the state of California?
It may be difficult to pick up on the signs of nursing home abuse at first. But for the sake of your loved one, it is important that you keep your eye out for any of the following indications:
- Your loved one claims they are not being helped in and out of bed.
- Your loved one claims they are hungry and/or thirsty.
- Your loved one claims they lost their possessions.
- You notice that your loved one is walking around the premises unattended.
- You notice that your loved one has bedsores.
- You notice that your loved one has lost a significant amount of weight.
- You notice that your loved one has cuts, bruises, and/or fractures.
- You notice that your loved one has an infection.
- You notice that your loved one may be overmedicated.
What should I do if my loved one is being abused in a nursing home?
In any event, nursing home abuse is completely unacceptable and may just justify an elder abuse claim. But before you even initiate your lawsuit, you must place your loved one in immediate protection through the following actions:
- Report the incident to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman CRISISline at 1-800-231-4024.
- Report the incident to the California Department of Public Health at 916-558-1784.
- Report the incident to your local law enforcement.
- Report the incident to the nursing home management.
Once your loved one is safe, then you can work on your claim. For one, you will need to collect evidence (i.e., photos, videos, witness testimony, etc.) that point to the incident and overall to the fact that nursing home abuse occurred. Nonetheless, you must retain legal representation from a competent California elder abuse lawyer. Give our firm a call before it is too late.