Nursing Home Injuries

Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Injuries

Attorneys at Michels & Watkins in Los Angeles are committed to the right of every elderly person to live with dignity, safe from physical, emotional, and economic abuse. Unfortunately we frequently hear stories of nursing home negligence and elder abuse.

If you are concerned about the safety of a nursing home or assisted living facility resident, or are concerned that a vulnerable adult has been injured by abuse or neglect at the hands of a home health aid or family caregiver, please contact our LA office. Whether our attorneys and medical team find that an injury or economic loss entitles the person to a claim or not, we will provide a clear explanation of patients' rights and how the law applies.

Nursing home injuries: signs of abuse and neglect

An investigation of a nursing home injury often discloses a dangerous preference for corporate profits over patient safety. Poorly trained and overworked staff members fail to give proper care, kitchens fail to provide appropriate foods, and patients are not supervised adequately. An adult who lives at home may be financially exploited by a relative, acquaintance, or telephone salesperson. Examples of negligence:

• A hip fracture, broken arm, wrist, or leg; or bruising from falls, head trauma or brain injury from a fall—it is the responsibility of staff to see that residents do not fall in the bathroom, out of bed, in a slip and fall in the hallway, or when transferring to a wheelchair.
• Dehydration, malnutrition—staff is responsible for monitoring changes in the patient's diet.
• Bedsores—also called decubitus ulcers or pressure sores, bedsores are always preventable and can be serious or fatal injuries if not detected and treated promptly.
• An untreated infection that led to sepsis and organ failure.
• Financial exploitation—if you notice money disappearing from an account, or suspect coercion in transfer of funds or the change of a will or trust, it should be investigated.
• Injury or death from a head trauma
• Emotional abuse or sexual assault—does the patient look apprehensive around the caregiver, or complain of harassment? Is the patient depressed or withdrawn?
• A stroke or heart attack was not treated promptly.
• Failure to diagnose pneumonia or another treatable condition.

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Was your relative's nursing home injury a case of elder abuse? Contact our LA office and arrange a free medical consultation. At Michels & Watkins our medical staff, led by Bradford S. Davis, M.D., and our elder law attorneys will help you find out what went wrong. If a member of your family was injured as a result of medical negligence, our lawyers will hold those responsible accountable. Our Los Angeles firm serves clients throughout California and surrounding states. Our staff and the attorneys provide far more than legal services, giving our clients the support they need to survive following tragic nursing home abuse and accidents.