San Bernardino Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys
Contact our San Bernardino Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers for a Free Case Evaluation and Consultation. Our team of lawyers, paralegals, mediators and staff are dedicated to helping our clients and are always available to answer any questions you may have regarding your case.
For immediate assistance Call 909-253-0750 for a free consultation. For over 40 years our San Bernardino Personal Injury Lawyers have taken on some of the toughest of nursing home abuse and neglect cases. We offer a no win, no fee guarantee. If we do not win your case, you don't pay.
Entrusting an elderly loved one to the care of a nursing home or assisted living facility can be a traumatizing decision. Each year, hundreds of families in San Bernardino must consider placing a parent or elderly relative in a facility where their medical requirements and day-to-day needs can be met.
All families want for their loved ones is a superior quality of life they cannot provide at home, given their special needs.
While families hope that their loved ones will be able to spend their twilight years with comfort and dignity, it is often not the case. Recent studies show that one in five elderly Americans suffers from some form of abuse or neglect in the nation's nursing homes.
According to a news report by ABC News, elderly residents are abused at 1 in 3 nursing homes. This statistic nobody wants to hear, believe or accept, but it's a reality, and you can be proactive.
There are numerous outrageous and heartbreaking examples of abuse and neglect in these care facilities from physical and sexual abuse to malnutrition and chemical restraint.
Nursing home abuse and neglect is rising to epidemic levels in the United States and this is alarming at a time when more and more Baby Boomers are entering nursing homes.
If you or a loved one has suffered neglect or abuse in a San Bernardino nursing or residential care facility, it is important that you understand your legal rights and options.
Get the Help You Need for Your San Bernardino, California Case
Nursing home abuse lawsuits can be complex and challenging because these types of legal actions involve large corporations with high-powered legal defense teams on their side.
A number of nursing homes are for-profit companies that keep their facilities understaffed and their staff underpaid so they can boost their profits.
Filing a civil lawsuit against these corporations is pretty much the only way for victims and their families to seek justice and fair compensation for their losses.
Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers in San Bernardino at Bisnar Chase have a long and successful track record of fighting for consumer rights and winning.
To learn more about how you can find safer nursing homes, resources and other helpful information, visit NursingHomeAbuseGuide.org.
We represent seriously injured nursing home abuse victims and families that have lost loved ones as a result of neglect and abuse. Please contact our law offices at 909-253-0750 for a Free Case Evaluation and Consultation.
Top 3 Abusers in Nursing Homes
Your family and or loved one should be in a safe environment, always under the care and supervision of a trustworthy and caring individual.
If you feel uncomfortable about how an individual acts in your presence, or when you are not around, steps should be made to ensure the safety and well-being of your loved one who resides in the nursing home or assisted living facility.
On average, the Top 3 Abusers in Nursing Homes consist of:
- Other residents
- Visiting family members (related to other residents)
- Nursing home caregivers or caretakers
Top 3 Most Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse
Although there are many different ways people can be mistreated, neglected and abused, the Top 3 Most Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse are:
- Financial Manipulation
- Physical Abuse
- Mental and Emotional Abuse
Learn more about different types of abuse and how to be proactive at NursingHomeAbuseGuide.org.
There are a number of ways in which nursing home residents are abused or neglected:
- Physical abuse: This refers to the non-accidental use of force against an individual, which could result in injury or pain. This type of abuse may include hitting, shoving, physical restraint or restraint through the use of psychotropic drugs. Sadly if the physical abuse is constant families may suffer from the wrongful death of a loved one.
- Neglect: This is one of the most common and tragic forms of abuse in nursing homes. Neglect is defined as the failure to meet the resident's needs in terms of care and nutrition. Neglect, whether it is intentional or unintentional, is absolutely unacceptable. In most nursing homes or care facilities, neglect occurs due to understaffing or lack of adequate staff members in relation to the number of residents.
- Emotional abuse: This could occur when a staff member treats a nursing home resident in a manner that causes emotional or psychological pain. This type of abuse could be verbal or even non-verbal. Examples of verbal abuse include screaming or publicly humiliating a resident. Non-verbal abuse may include isolating or intimidating a nursing home resident.
- Sexual abuse: This refers to any type of unwanted or inappropriate contact with a nursing home resident. Examples of sexual abuse include unwanted physical acts, inappropriate touching or showing pornographic material.
- Financial abuse: Elderly nursing home residents are often exploited by unscrupulous caregivers who take advantage of the fact that these individuals are frail or lack the mental faculties to manage their finances. Examples of financial abuse include forging checks, getting the elderly person to sign a will or power of attorney and unauthorized use of credit cards, personal identification or forcing changes with the elder's estate planning.
Do You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse?
There are several steps you can take if you suspect that your loved one is being abused or neglected in a San Bernardino nursing home. First and foremost, it is important to verify your loved one's account of the incident or incidents.
Gather medical records or take photos of recent injuries. Consider moving your loved one to another facility, particularly if you are worried about his or her safety and well being.
If you suspect abuse, inform the police department or district attorney. Under state of California law, it is required to report elder abuse as soon as it happens. If there is evidence of a crime, the prosecutor will press criminal charges against the individuals involved.
File a complaint to the appropriate agencies. It is also important that you contact an experienced San Bernardino nursing home abuse lawyer who will provide you with more information about pursuing your legal rights.
How A San Bernardino County Nursing Home Attorney Can Help
There are many logistics that take place before placing an elder in the care of a facility. One of the logistics requires filling out a plethora of documents. The family member responsible for the senior might not look carefully at the documents and sign away various rights of the elder.
When you hire an attorney in San Bernardino for your loved one's nursing home abuse and neglect case, they will look for any breaches in the contract or violations that the nursing home had made. Usually, a contract that binds the elderly client to the nursing home is signed before their stay. You may have overlooked a series of clauses that state that a nursing home can be held liable for certain injuries, pain or suffering.
An experienced nursing home abuse attorney will also know what evidence to collect when preparing for trial. Witness accounts or other information that involved your loved one being abused can be valuable in the case. If you have filed a personal injury claim for your loved one or are an elder who has reported abuse you will need to be advised on how much you should be compensated for.
Insurance companies will not compensate you for the earnings and suffering you have experienced.
Our team of skilled and experienced San Bernardino Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers have over 40 years of experience and have won over $500 Million for our clients, establishing a 96% Success Rate.
The Southern California attorneys at Bisnar Chase know what it takes to win a complex and difficult case and they never give up until we win, or you don't pay anything.
Our nursing home abuse firm will advance all medical costs and cover all financial obligations you or your loved one has, to ensure you are taken care of. Our compassion is strong and we want to be there for you in these stressful and difficult times.
If you or a loved one has experienced abuse of any kind, including negligence, wrongdoing, physical, mental and mental abuse, contact us right away so we can take care of this horrible situation immediately and hold those accountable to the fullest extent.
You could be entitled to compensation so please contact us for immediate assistance at 909-253-0750 to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights and receive a Free Case Evaluation and Consultation.
You can also reach us at our Los Angeles or Orange County law offices.