California Nursing Home Injury Attorneys

With over 45 million people over the age of 60, the United States faces daily challenges of providing medical care for the elderly. It is estimated that one in twenty senior citizens require assisted living. The most troublesome fact is that elders are abused and neglected each day by those who care for them. Due to the urgent lack of assisted care providers, nursing home staff are reportedly overworked and underpaid, and have been known to abuse and neglect our loving elder family members who we carefully placed in the home.

Elder Abuse, Institutional Abuse, and Neglect

The number one reported elder abuse incident is the neglect of our senior citizen’s basic needs. With nearly 1 million victims each year, the second-most common incident is direct abuse of elders. With such striking statistics, many concerned citizens are fighting hard for the rights of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

This crime is referred to as “institutional abuse,” when it occurs within the walls of a nursing home. This kind of abuse can range from physical, to emotional and even sexual abuse of elders. Physical forms of abuse may include hitting, drugging, unreasonably restraining, burning, refusal to transport, and any other inappropriate physical contact.

The saddest and most common form of elder abuse is pure neglect. Especially for those who cannot take care of themselves, neglect of their basic needs—food, water, and assistance to the restroom—is neither available nor offered. They remain confined within their deteriorating bodies, unable to attend to basic needs. Neglect may occur in a situation where the caregiver simply does not care. This can lead to serious health disorders, including malnutrition, dehydration, and kidney stones. Senior citizens may also leave the facility unassisted, called “elopement,” which could lead to physical and mental trauma—even possible death.

Elders may also suffer mental abuse while in residence of the nursing home. They are confined to small rooms, with little or no contact with other residents, caregivers, or their family. Many suffer from depression, anxiety, and social disorders. Elders may also be verbally harassed, intentionally ignored, intimidated, and intentionally isolated from friends and family.

Surprisingly, sexual abuse does exist within the nursing home setting. Caregivers have been known to not only force sex, but also nudity and inappropriate photography.

Domestic abuse occurs in the elder’s home or even family member’s residence. The abuser may be a family member, friend, or caregiver.