Huntington Beach Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Huntington Beach Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

When you entrust your elderly loved one into the care of a nursing home facility, you expect that the workers will treat them with care, protection, and respect. However, sometimes nursing home facilities breach their duty of care and abuse or neglect their residents. If your loved one has been a victim of abuse or neglect, it may be time to consult with a Huntington Beach nursing home abuse lawyer.

What Is Nursing Home Abuse in California?

Nursing home abuse or neglect involves a range of intentional activities that threaten, harm, or endanger nursing home residents. Thousands of California’s elderly reside in nursing homes, and unfortunately, many of them are subjected to abuse. Abuse can range from serious and life-threatening acts of harm to mental or financial abuse.

What Are the Different Types of Nursing Home Abuse in California?

Nursing home abuse can involve a person directly harming an elderly person or neglecting to provide them with the appropriate care and medical treatment that they are responsible for. The list below details some of the most common nursing home abuse scenarios seen in California.

• Neglect: Neglect can come in many forms, but it typically comes down to the staff failing to properly monitor or provide adequate care for a resident. Neglect can result in bed sores from failing to turn the immobile resident over, falls from a failure to properly monitor the resident, or infections from untreated medical conditions.
• Isolation: Keeping an elderly person isolated from friends and family or preventing them from receiving mail, phone calls, or other communication is a form of abuse.
• Physical Assault or Abuse. Unfortunately, some nursing staff may become impatient with residents and physically assault them, leading to injury or even death in some cases. Poorly trained staff may also engage in physical abuse to overcompensate for their lack of skills. This is never acceptable and is also against the law.
• Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse can involve inappropriate or unwanted groping and fondling, as well as sexual assault and rape, which is unwanted sexual intercourse.
• Emotional and Mental Abuse: Sometimes, abuse is not physical. There are many cases where staff may cause mental suffering to a resident by threatening them, calling them names, gaslighting them, manipulating them, or using other emotional abuse tactics.
• Financial Abuse: Elderly individuals in nursing homes can be vulnerable to financial abuse since they are at the mercy of their caretakers. Unfortunately, some caretakers may take advantage of this and steal from the residents or commit fraud or forgery.
• Withholding Medication and Medical Treatment: Many elderly residents depend on the consistent use of medication to keep them alive and well. If a staff member withholds medication, provides incorrect medication, or overmedicates the resident to sedate them, this is considered abuse.

Are There Laws Surrounding Nursing Home Abuse in California?

Nursing abuse is taken seriously by the government in California. Many abusive behaviors are crimes and can result in the offender spending time in jail, in addition to other consequences. If your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse in Huntington Beach, it’s crucial that you pursue justice. Luckily, there are penalties for egregious forms of abuse, such as:

• Abuse or neglect that intentionally causes physical harm or mental suffering upon the elderly or puts them in harm’s way is against the law. Penalties for this crime can include one year in jail and a $6,000 fine if it is charged as a misdemeanor. If the defendant is charged with a felony, they may face up to seven years in prison, depending on the age of the victim and the extent of the crime.
• Financial abuse, which includes fraud, theft, forgery, or even embezzlement, is also illegal. Punishment can vary for financial abuse, depending on how much money was stolen and how long the behavior occurred. Generally, the defendant will have to pay fines, face potential jail time, and restore the funds they stole.
• Violating a facility’s Health & Safety policies is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,500 fine.

FAQs About Huntington Beach, CA Nursing Home Abuse Laws

Compassionate Nursing Home Abuse Representation in Huntington Beach

If you suspect your loved one has been abused at a nursing home in Huntington Beach, you should act quickly. Our elderly population is more vulnerable to abuse and neglect and should, therefore, be the most protected. At Hunter Law, we fight tirelessly to secure the justice and compensation your loved one deserves. Contact us today for a consultation.