Author Archives: Adam Peck

Serious personal injury cases routinely occur in Nursing Homes causing wrongful death says Peck Law Group Accident and Injury Lawyer Steven Peck.

Take the example of a recent case that involved a horrific infected bed sore also known as a pressure ulcer and decubitus ulcer, which as a result of the infection caused the elder individual to become septic. A terrible way to die!!

Negligence is a required component of a wrongful death action and a personal injury accident. The outcome of the investigation into this accident will be of great interest to those families who have sustained the loss of a loved one and to those who have been critically injured as a result of the neglect of the skilled nursing facility.

Infections are very common in the setting of long-term care facilities and
represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality among institutionalized
elderly individuals in nursing homes indicates Van Nuys Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Steven Peck.

Some characteristics specific for the setting of a nursing home favor the spread of infectious diseases. Residents are clustered in a confined living arrangement and daily activities often take place in groups.

Some residents are cognitively impaired and unable to follow basic hygiene
precautions. Caregivers are often inadequately trained and may have little
knowledge of the fundamental principles of infection control. As a consequence,
adherence to hand washing in particular and other universal precautions
is poor.

Moreover, understaffing is a common problem in nursing homes. Nursing home residents are particularly susceptible to infections because they are physiologically old and often have comorbid underlying diseases that predispose them to site-specific infections. It is often difficult to diagnose infections in the elderly. As a result, the diagnosis and treatment may be delayed. These host and setting related factors facilitate direct or indirect transmission of infectious diseases among the residents in nursing homes.

Disability Rights California, a non-profit advocacy organization mandated to advance the human and legal rights of people with disabilities, supports bill, SB 558.

Disability Rights California supports SB 558 because it will help prevent elder and dependent adult abuse. Elder and dependent adult abuse is an epidemic, which often goes unreported and unpunished. When it is reported, procedural delays and unrealistic legal standards make it difficult to prosecute, letting the perpetrators off the hook and allowing them to continue the abuse.

SB 558 will help prevent physical abuse of elderly and dependent adults by providing stricter civil enforcement of the Elder & Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (EADACPA or the Elder Abuse Act). The current standard of clear and convincing evidence makes it nearly impossible to prosecute these crimes. This bill allows civil cases to be enforced using a preponderance of the evidence standard, a legal standard consistent with financial abuse cases and virtually every other civil cause of action says Los Angeles Elder Abuse Attorney Steven Peck.

With the growing senior population and recent budget cuts, it is more important than ever to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes against elders and dependent adults indicates California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer Steven Peck.