Nursing Home Abuse Attorney in California

If you or your loved one in a nursing home suffers an unexplained illness or injury, the lawyers at The Peck Law Group can help you fight for your rights. The Peck Law Group is the California’s premier nursing home abuse and negligence law firm. Our attorneys provide aggressive and passionate representation for nursing home abuse and negligence victims. Here are just a few of the types of cases we handle:

Administrative Errors – Though these errors may not be intentional, simple mistakes can have lasting consequences. Some common administrative error cases involve the failure of nursing home staff to provide medications on time, the failure to provide sufficient food or water, and also the failure to repair equipment or in-room items in a timely fashion.

Fractures and Falls – Nursing homes are required to make sure that their facilities are safe and that their residents are as well. Nursing homes have a duty to ensure that there is proper supervision and associated procedures in place to avoid injury to the residents. When nursing homes fail to do this properly, victims may be entitled to financial compensation.

Medication Mistakes – Mistakes in medication, including under-medicating, overdoses, and even providing residents with the incorrect medications are common issues that occur in nursing homes. These mistakes can lead to life-threatening injuries.

Financial Exploitation – Nursing home residents are at a high risk of being financially exploited. Financial exploitation can include theft, forgery, and undue influence by nursing home staff members. In some cases, nursing home staff members use their position and knowledge of the resident’s financial situation in order to take advantage of them and their finances.

Inadequate Staffing – Another major issue in nursing homes is that they may be under-staffed. While there are laws in place that address the number of nursing home staff needed, many nursing homes opt to cut corners in order to reduce expenses. They ultimately hire fewer staff members than they actually need so they can save money. These actions result in sub-par care for nursing home residents and can result in injury or neglect.

Bed Sores – Bedsores are a preventable injury. If a nursing home resident suffers from a bedsore injury serious complications may result, including the risk of death. Unfortunately, many nursing homes decide not to provide their staff with proper training so that they can prevent bedsores or identify and treat them promptly.

Unreasonable Restraints – The use of unreasonable restraints is one of the most common reasons for nursing home abuse complaints in many cities throughout California. Restraints may be used by nursing home staff in very limited situations. If your loved one is unjustly placed in unreasonable restraints, it can result in both emotional and physical injury.

Choking – Choking injuries often occur in nursing home settings due to sub-par supervision by staff members. If the residents are cared for appropriately, many of these choking injuries could be avoided completely.

Verbal Abuse – Nursing home residents may suffer emotional and psychological trauma as a result of verbal abuse. Nursing home staff should not be verbally abusing their residents for any reason.

If you think your loved one may be a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect in California, contact The Peck Law Group at 866-999-9085 today to schedule a free consultation. If you or a family member are in an emergency abuse or neglect situation, please contact Adult Protective Services right away.

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:

Q) I overheard one of the employees calling my loved one a name. They apologized afterward, but I think it might be happening routinely. Could this be nursing home negligence or abuse?

A) Any type of abuse in a nursing home is a serious concern. Nursing home residents who receive this type of treatment often suffer from emotional or psychological distress. When this type of unacceptable behavior occurs, you might have case for nursing home abuse lawsuit. It is possible your loved one may not want to talk about what you heard or if this is something that is happening regularly. Some warning signs that nursing home negligence or abuse could be possible are:

An aggressive environment between staff members. Residents may also act aggressive or disorderly and there could be an abnormal amount of yelling.
Rumors from residents and other family members regarding abuse.
Specific complaints from residents or family members.
Incidents of nursing home staff playing pranks or telling inappropriate jokes that embarrass residents.

Q) What are some signs of possible nursing home negligence or abuse?

A) Nursing home negligence and/or abuse cannot be tolerated. Nursing homes should be a safe place for our loved ones. It’s important to keep in mind that like any form of abuse, your loved one or the staff may make up excuses of how an injury occurred. Unfortunately, statistics show that almost half of all nursing home residents have been subject to some form of abuse during their stay. Some signs that nursing home negligence or abuse are happening are:

Your loved one does not like to be left alone with a specific staff member.
Signs of depression or anxiety. Any type of change in mental status. Possible reduction or complete discontinuation of eating.
Uncleanliness or a noticeable difference in your loved ones physical appearance between prior to entering the nursing home and after.
Unexplained weight loss.
Refusal to eat or take medications.
Your loved one does not speak as much or stops completely.
Your loved one seems to just want to be left lone all the time.
Abnormal emotional outbursts.
Noticeable signs of dehydration.
Bed sores.
Bruising, welts, cuts or scratches or broken bones.

Please keep in mind, sometimes these sings are not an indication of nursing home negligence or abuse, but they could be signs of other problems. Dehydration, bedsores and unexplained weight loss could be signs of diabetes. But, it’s important to pay attention to the signs and determine the proper steps to help your loved one.

Q) What are the most common types of nursing home negligence and abuse in California?

A) There are many types of nursing home abuse and neglect in California and throughout the United States including:

Bedsores: Bedsores are preventable. Unfortunately, nursing homes do not always train their staff properly on bedsore prevention and treatment. This can be very dangerous because bedsores can be fatal.
Falls and Fractures: Nursing homes are legally obligated to provide adequate care and supervision to help keep the nursing home safe for residents.
Malnutrition: Nursing homes must provide the proper care to prevent malnutrition. Malnutrition can be fatal to nursing home residents.
Choking: Choking is a serious issue with nursing home residents. Nursing homes are obligated to provide enough supervision to prevent these types of incidents.
Clogged Breathing Tubes: Residents that have breathing tubes need specual care. Nursing homes are obligated to make sure residents with breathing tubes have clean and unblocked breathing tubes at all times.
Emotional Abuse: Emotional abuse can be a very serious issue. Sign could include not wanting to be left with a specific staff member, crying or depression.
Sexual Harassment: Your loved one could be embarrassed to discuss the fact that they are being sexually harassed by a staff member or even other residents.
Financial Exploitation: The most common form of abuse in nursing homes. Theft, undue influence by a staff member or forgery are common types of financial exploitation.
Wrongful Death: If your loved one died from nursing home neglect or abuse, you may have a case against the nursing home for wrongful death.

With multiple offices throughout California, The Peck Law Group’s nursing home abuse attorneys can you assist you with your case including:

If you think that you or your loved one could be experiencing nursing home neglect or abuse in California, call the Peck Law Group immediately to schedule your free consultation at 866-999-9085.