On March 2, 2011, three employees of Idylwood Care Center were arrested on suspicion of elder abuse. One employee was charged with grabbing a resident’s genitalia, and two others were charged with knowing of this despicable act and failing to do anything about it.
Please click here to read more about the facts of this alleged abuse and the charges filed against the workers: Sunnyvale: Three Nursing Home Workers Charged with Elder Abuse.
In our experience, elder abuse in nursing homes and residential care facilities occurs more often than we are aware. Arrests, such as the one in Sunnyvale, are far and few between. More often, the events that amount to elder abuse are minimized by the facility and law enforcement is rarely involved.
Bed Sores Or Failure To Provide Care Can Constitute Elder Abuse In California
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NuSmChAxhw?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
A few years ago, we pursued an action in Northern California where a 98 year-old Alzheimer’s patient was left outside overnight. Records of the facility showed that the employees knew she was missing from her bed, but they failed to find her, even though she was on their back patio in her wheelchair. When she was found the next morning, her body temperature had dipped to 93 degrees, she suffered from hyperthermia, and she passed away 3 weeks later.
In the above instance, the woman that was suspected of leaving the resident outside was arrested, charged, and convicted of criminal negligence. Surprisingly, this case was the only time in any of our elder abuse actions where an employee was even arrested.
It is up to us, families of our elders, to ensure that the facility in which they live provides excellent and lacks a history of violations. Unfortunately, visiting these homes does not provide enough information. Luckily, there are some excellent resources that may shed light on a particular facility you may be considering for your family member.
California
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (www.canhr.org)
California Nursing Home Information & Registry – (www.memberofthefamily.net)
California Nursing Home Search (www.calnhs.org)
Department of Health Services, Licensing & Certification Division – (www.chhs.ca.gov)
Community Care Licensing (RCFE’s) (www.ccld.ca.gov)
National
National Center on Elder Abuse (www.elderabusecenter.org)
Nursing Home Compare (www.medicare.gov/NHCompare)
National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (www.nursinghomeaction.org)
If you believe that a loved one may be a victim of elder or dependent adult abuse, click here to learn more about Brandi Law Firm Elder Abuse Attorneys.