NURSING HOME AND DEPENDENT ADULT ABUSE
AND NEGLECT
Elderly people and dependent adults
become the victims of abuse and neglect when nursing homes
or dependent adult and assisted living facilities either
intentionally injure them or fail to protect them from
dangers that result in injury. According to the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, the primary types of elder
abuse and neglect involve emotional, physical, and verbal
abuse and neglect, and financial abuse.
Most elder abuse and neglect occurs
in understaffed and overcrowded long-term care facilities. Frequently,
elderly residents require assistance dealing with complex
medical issues as well as daily personal needs. Unfortunately,
caregivers often are overworked, underpaid, and poorly
trained — conditions that create the opportunity
for neglect and abuse to thrive.
Visit our separate Web site:
www.elderabusereport.com — More
information on nursing home and elder abuse including additional
resources, statistics and recent headlines.
Identifying
Signs of Nursing Home or Dependent Adult Abuse
Sometimes it is difficult to tell
whether your elderly loved one is simply aging, or has
been a victim of nursing home neglect and abuse. The following
list describes the most common types of elder neglect and
abuse.
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Reporting
Suspected Nursing Home Abuse in California
If you identify any of these signs
of nursing home or dependent adult abuse and neglect, there
are steps you can take to investigate your concerns. First
and foremost, take all needed action to remove your loved
one from any potentially dangerous situation. Then:
- Report your concerns to
the administration of the nursing home or dependent adult
facility where your loved one lives. Identify your
specific observations, as well as the complaints of your
loved one or other residents regarding potential nursing
home abuse and demand that immediate action be taken
to correct the condition, including an investigation.
Your complaint should be in writing.
You should additionally request a personal
meeting with the facility administrator regarding
your concerns.
- If the facility does not respond
to your concerns, you should contact the California
Department of Health Services (DHS), the California
Department of Aging (CDA), or the Department
of Social Services (DSS) to file a complaint.
The contact information
for these facilities, as well as others, is listed
below in California Resources.
Your complaint may initiate a visit to the facility by
the state of California to investigate the suspected
nursing home or dependent adult abuse or neglect. You
should follow-up with the investigator to
see what investigation and actions are underway to prevent
nursing home and dependent adult abuse in the facility.
- You should additionally notify
the California Ombudsman of your concerns.
The California Ombudsman is a nursing home resident
advocate that supports the residents' right to the
highest quality of life possible. The Ombudsman is
further responsible for investigating complaints of nursing
home abuse, as well as assisting in the resolution
of complaints made by California residents.
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Request
a Free Case Evaluation
If you suspect nursing home or
dependent adult abuse, you may need to take steps to enforce
the legal rights of your loved one. Please
contact an attorney at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff
for a free consultation.
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California
Resources
The following agencies are resources
to aid and assist you in ensuring that your loved ones
are protected from nursing home, dependent adult or assisted
living facility abuse and neglect in California:
Department
of Health Services, Licensing and Certification,
(CDHS)
The California Department of Health Services administers
investigations into complaints, as well as licensing, and
certification surveys on skilled nursing facilities, acute
care facilities, and transitional care centers. Annual
survey results of these facilities as well as results of
investigations are available for public viewing at the
CDHS office within the county where the facility is located.
This is a good source of information for the general public.
To determine the district office
nearest you, call (916) 445-4171. The
contact number for licensing and certification is (916)
552-8700.
Department
of Social Services, Community
Care Licensing, (CDSS) The California Department
of Social Services provides a similar function to
that of CDHS, but for residential care facilities
only. Results of investigations, as well as
annual survey results are available at the CDSS office
within the specific county where the facility is
located.
County
Hotlines to Report Abuse: Use this
hyperlink to access a California directory or HOTLINES
to report suspected elder or dependent adult abuse. The
chart is organized by County.
California
Department of Aging (CDA)
The California Department of Aging is a part of the California
Health and Human Services Agency.It administers home
and community-based services throughout California, working
primarily with the Area Agencies on Aging who serve seniors,
adults with disabilities, and caregivers. You may
contact the CDA at (800) 735-2929 or (916)
419-7500.
Long
Term Care Ombudsman Program
This agency provides public information on nursing homes
and residential care facilities. The primary responsibility
of the program is to investigate and attempt to resolve
complaints made by or on behalf of residence in long-term
care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted living
facilities. The agency additionally provides ombudsman,
or advocates assigned to a resident at a facility, if necessary.
Central Program Office: (800)
231-4024 or (916) 323-6838
Health
Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Project (HICAP)
Provides free individual counseling regarding Medicare,
Medigap, Health Insurance, and Long Term Care Insurance. The
service is offered in every county.
Central Office: 800-434-0222.
Kershaw,
Cutter & Ratinoff, LLP
The experienced attorneys at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff
represent victims of nursing home and dependent adult abuse
and neglect and their families. If you suspect that a loved
one is the victim of nursing home or dependent adult abuse
or neglect, contact
an attorney at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff for a free
consultation.
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