If your loved one is suffering from a memory disorder and you are no longer able to take care of them full-time, then you may place them under the supervision of a memory care facility. Though it is hard to believe, abuse is sometimes reported to occur in these facilities. Read on to discover more about this and how a seasoned California memory care facility abuse lawyer at Cowdrey & Jenkins LLP can help you fight this.
What is a memory care facility?
Put simply, a memory care facility is a type of residential care facility that serves senior citizens with mental impairments like Alzheimer’s and dementia. The provided care is intended to help relieve the health, social, and safety concerns that a senior citizen’s loved ones may have surrounding this memory disorder. These facilities are sometimes seen as a single unit within a larger long-term care home, as they are intended to provide as much of an independent lifestyle for the senior citizens as possible, while still maintaining regular supervision.
Why might abuse occur in a memory care facility?
It is an unfortunate truth that, sometimes, memory care facility staff take advantage of their residents’ vulnerability. And so, they may provide substandard care or otherwise mistreat these residents to make their jobs easier. Such mistreatment can be done through physical abuse (i.e., hitting or rough handling them), emotional abuse (i.e., yelling or embarrassing them), financial abuse (i.e., stealing their cash or prized possessions), or otherwise neglect (i.e., not feeding or bathing them).
What should I do if abuse occurs in a care facility?
On top of all this, staff may believe that they will get away with such abuse because of their residents’ inability to recognize or remember such incidents. This is why such elder abuse is often left undocumented. And also, this is why you must take the initiative and look out for signs of abuse on behalf of your loved one.
The first thing you should do is report the incident of abuse to the Department of Social Services and/or your local law enforcement. Once your loved one is removed from this environment and placed in immediate care, then you should consider filing an elder abuse lawsuit on their behalf. What will help your claim is if you have been able to document the signs of abuse (i.e., photos of physical injuries, witness testimony, etc).
An important note is that the state of California has a statute of limitations when it comes to elder abuse lawsuits. Specifically, this deadline tends to be two years from the incident of abuse. You must retain legal representation from a competent California elder abuse lawyer before it is too late. We look forward to speaking with you.