Los Angeles Elder Abuse Lawyer

Elder abuse affects millions of people in the United States every year, the vast majority of whom are seniors over the age of 65. Federal and state laws require basic levels of safety, nutrition and health care in nursing homes, but too often these standards are violated. In California, more than 80% of assisted living facilities are operated by for-profit companies. The profit motive can trump residents’ health and well-being, leading to horrific mistreatment.

Have you or a loved one suffered from elder abuse? Contact Ellis Law

The Los Angeles personal injury attorneys at Ellis Law Firm have more than two decades of experience representing injured LA County and California residents, including those who have suffered elder abuse or nursing home neglect. Our trained investigators and medical experts work closely with elders and their families to discover the cause of injuries and document their impact.

Our lawyers work tirelessly to obtain compensation for those who have been harmed. If you or a loved one has suffered because of this kind of abuse, our personal injury attorneys will fight to recover the maximum compensation you are entitled to, and make sure no one else suffers the same abuse in future at the hands of responsible parties.

What constitutes nursing home abuse?

Under California law, elder abuse includes physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, isolation or other treatment that causes physical or mental suffering. It also includes an assisted living facilities’ failure to provide services needed to prevent physical or mental harm.

Examples of nursing home abuse include:

• Physical abuse – infliction of physical pain or injury; sexual assault or molestation; use of physical or chemical restraints as punishment that may result in back injury or bone fracture
• Neglect – failure to help with personal hygiene, provide food, clothing or shelter, protect against health and safety hazards or prevent malnutrition
• Abandonment – desertion of an elder by a caregiver
• Isolation – intentionally blocking an elder from receipt of visitors, telephone calls or mail
• Mental suffering – threatening, harassing, or otherwise intimidating an elder in order to inflict fear, agitation and/or confusion

Financial exploitation is a violation of California law that often accompanies other types of abuse. Unfortunately, elders in these living situations frequently suffer physical or mental abuse in order to facilitate or conceal the theft or misuse of money, property, or other assets. According to the federal Administration on Aging, in 2010 reported nursing home abuses could be broken down into six categories:

• Physical abuse was 29% of reports
• Resident-to-resident abuse made up 22%
• Psychological abuse constituted 21% of reported violations
• Gross neglect was 14% of reported deficiencies
• Sexual abuse comprised 7% of reported violations
• Financial exploitation was 7%

Nursing home neglect and elder abuse in CA

Thousands of assisted living facilities are scattered throughout Los Angeles and southern California. Many staff care deeply for elders and treat them with the respect and attention they deserve.  But others – some of whom are over-worked, poorly-trained or under-paid — neglect or even abuse the patients in their care. For-profit chains’ focus on the bottom line can force even the best caregivers into unsafe and abusive practices.

In November 2013, a Los Angeles area nursing-home operator agreed to pay the government $48 million to settle allegations that he billed Medicare for therapy sessions that never took place.  Repayments and penalties can help deter unscrupulous institutions from future fraud. But they do nothing to help residents who may have been injured by mistreatment at such places. In cases like this, attorneys with Ellis Law can help victims and their families recover financial losses and secure proper treatment in the future.

How common is nursing home abuse?

Precise numbers of elder abuse and neglect are virtually impossible to obtain.  The Inspector General of the federal Department of Health and Human Services described state studies of the mistreatment of the elderly as “deeply flawed.”  According to experts, “a vast reservoir of undetected and unreported elder mistreatment in nursing homes may exist.”

What is known is that residents are especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect. In one study of 2,000 residents, 44% reported that they had been abused, while 95% said they had been neglected themselves or witnessed neglect of another resident. Another researcher reported that over half of staff admitted mistreating elderly residents within the prior year, including physical violence, mental abuse and neglect.

Nursing homes regularly violate minimum standards of care

Both federal and state laws set minimum standards for these homes, but the problem is huge:  in 2010, assisted living facilities nationwide received over 146,000 citations for violating federal regulations. Nearly one-fourth of all nursing homes were cited for violations that caused or threatened harm to residents. Over three-fifths failed to provide adequate infection control; nearly that many violated food sanitation regulations.

20 percent of these homes were cited for failing to prevent pressure sores (bed sores).  Almost all pressure sores can be prevented with adequate nursing care, but average nurse staffing levels remain lower than experts recommend.

Even when violations come to light, penalties are often minimal. In June 2013, the California Department of Public Health found that three residents died as a result of nursing homes’ failure to meet minimum standards of care. The Department issued citations and fined them a total of $200,000.

Penalties for senior abuse and neglect

When penalties for abuse are so low, nursing home facilities know they can focus on profits without fear of punishment. Concerned families must take special care to monitor the health and well-being of relatives, to ensure that abuse and neglect cannot take place.

Although elder abuse is a crime under California law, state prosecutions are few – and their numbers are dropping.  Statistics show that criminal elder-abuse complaints filed by California’s attorney general dropped from 112 in fiscal 2002-03 to 60 in 2011-12. The lack of government action to deter this kind of abuse makes it all the more important for families to take prompt action if they believe a resident is abused.

Los Angeles families and nursing home residents should contact personal injury lawyers with expertise in the field of nursing home abuse. Attorneys at Ellis Injury law will investigate conditions at the home, interview staff and residents, review medical and staffing records, and obtain expert medical and financial guidance to determine whether they have abused or neglected a resident.

Legal recourse for nursing home abuse victims

If we find that staff has engaged in mistreatment we will seek compensation for the elder’s pain and suffering and future medical care.  Many times nursing homes offer our clients compensation quickly once we get involved, saving elders and their families from having to go to court to seek recovery for their damages. But if your lawsuit goes to trial, we have the legal, medical, financial and investigatory expertise to pursue the maximum compensation on your behalf.

Additionally, we will we do everything in our power to ensure that abusive nursing homes stop mistreating and neglecting elders in the future.

Our elders – parents, grandparents, older siblings – deserve dignity and care. Nursing home abuse betrays the trust that we put in others to care for our families when we cannot.  Ellis Law represents those who have suffered mental, physical or financial abuse by an assisted living facility and/or its employees.

You can trust us to discuss your legal options carefully, confidentially and without charge.

Call Ellis Law today at 310-641-3335.