We fight for victims of every form of elder abuse and neglect in California care facilities. Our attorneys have recovered over $250 million for families just like yours.
At California Nursing Home Law, our practice is devoted entirely to holding nursing homes and care facilities accountable for the harm they cause. We understand the unique legal landscape surrounding elder abuse in California, including the powerful protections provided by the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act. Whether your loved one has suffered physical violence, chronic neglect, emotional torment, or worse, our former defense attorneys know exactly how these facilities try to hide the truth. We use that knowledge to build the strongest possible case for your family.
Physical abuse in nursing homes includes any intentional use of force against a resident that results in pain, injury, or impairment. It is a violation of both California law and basic human dignity.
Physical abuse can take many forms: hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, improper use of physical restraints, rough handling during transfers, or any other act of violence by staff. Many victims are unable to report what happened due to cognitive decline, fear of retaliation, or physical limitations.
Warning signs include unexplained bruises, welts, burns, or fractures, especially in various stages of healing. If your loved one flinches at the approach of caregivers, seems fearful, or has injuries that the facility cannot adequately explain, physical abuse may be occurring.
Under California Welfare & Institutions Code 15610 and Penal Code 368, physical abuse of an elder is both a criminal offense and grounds for a civil lawsuit. Our attorneys pursue maximum compensation, including enhanced damages available under the Elder Abuse Act, to hold abusers and the facilities that employ them fully responsible.
Neglect is the most prevalent form of nursing home abuse in California, and bedsores (pressure ulcers) are among its most devastating and preventable consequences.
Nursing home neglect occurs when a facility fails to provide the basic standard of care that residents need. This includes failure to assist with hygiene, inadequate nutrition and hydration, ignoring call lights, failing to reposition immobile residents, not providing necessary medical treatment, and leaving residents in soiled clothing or bedding for extended periods.
Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, develop when sustained pressure cuts off blood flow to the skin. They are almost always preventable with proper care. A Stage III or Stage IV bedsore can penetrate through skin and muscle down to the bone, creating life-threatening infections and excruciating pain. The presence of advanced bedsores is one of the clearest indicators that a facility has failed in its duty of care.
Neglect often results from chronic understaffing, a problem that nursing home corporations create to maximize profit at the expense of resident safety. Our attorneys investigate staffing records, care logs, and internal communications to expose these dangerous practices and hold facilities accountable.
Under California's Elder Abuse Act, neglect that causes serious harm entitles victims to enhanced remedies, including attorney's fees and potentially punitive damages. We pursue every dollar our clients deserve.
Emotional abuse in nursing homes is a pattern of behavior designed to intimidate, isolate, humiliate, or control residents. It leaves no visible bruises, but the psychological damage can be just as devastating.
Examples of emotional abuse include verbal assaults such as yelling, name-calling, and belittling; threats of punishment or withholding care; deliberately isolating a resident from family and friends; ignoring a resident's requests or treating them as though they do not exist; and using intimidation tactics to maintain control.
Emotional abuse is particularly insidious because it often goes undetected. Many victims are afraid to speak up, and the signs can be mistaken for normal aging or cognitive decline. Look for sudden changes in behavior, unexplained withdrawal from activities, increased anxiety or agitation, depression, and a reluctance to speak openly when staff are present.
California law recognizes emotional abuse as a form of elder abuse, and victims are entitled to compensation for their suffering. Our attorneys work with medical and psychological experts to document the full extent of the harm and build compelling cases that hold abusers accountable.
Sexual abuse of nursing home residents is one of the most underreported and horrific forms of elder abuse. Any non-consensual sexual contact with a resident constitutes abuse, regardless of whether the perpetrator is a staff member or another resident.
Nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse due to physical limitations, cognitive impairments such as dementia, and their dependence on caregivers for intimate personal care. Perpetrators exploit this vulnerability, and facilities often fail to implement the safeguards necessary to prevent these crimes.
Warning signs may include unexplained bruising around the genitals or inner thighs, torn or stained undergarments, sexually transmitted infections, sudden behavioral changes such as withdrawal or agitation, and difficulty sitting or walking. Victims with dementia may exhibit increased confusion or distress that the facility attributes to their condition rather than investigating further.
Facilities have a legal obligation to conduct thorough background checks on all employees, supervise residents adequately, and respond immediately to any allegations. When they fail in these duties, they share responsibility for the abuse. Our attorneys pursue justice aggressively against both the individual perpetrators and the negligent facilities that allowed the abuse to occur.
Falls are one of the leading causes of serious injury and death among nursing home residents. While not every fall is preventable, the vast majority occur because facilities fail to implement basic safety measures.
When a resident is admitted to a nursing home, the facility is required to conduct a thorough fall risk assessment and develop a personalized care plan. This may include bed alarms, non-slip footwear, assistive devices, adequate lighting, regular repositioning schedules, and ensuring sufficient staff are available to help residents move safely.
A hip fracture in an elderly person is a catastrophic event. Studies show that up to 40% of elderly patients who suffer a hip fracture do not survive more than one year. Those who do survive often face a permanent decline in mobility and independence, chronic pain, and a dramatically reduced quality of life.
Common causes of preventable falls in nursing homes include understaffing, failure to respond to call lights, wet or cluttered floors, missing bed rails or grab bars, improper use of wheelchairs, and failure to follow a resident's individual care plan. When facilities cut corners on safety, they must be held accountable for the devastating consequences.
When nursing home abuse or neglect leads to the death of a loved one, families deserve answers, accountability, and justice. A wrongful death claim holds the responsible parties fully accountable for the life they took.
Wrongful death in a nursing home setting can result from untreated infections, sepsis from bedsores, choking incidents due to inadequate supervision, falls that lead to fatal head injuries, medication overdoses or dangerous drug interactions, dehydration, malnutrition, or any other form of fatal neglect or abuse.
In California, wrongful death claims may be brought by the deceased person's surviving spouse, domestic partner, children, or other dependents. Additionally, a survival action may be filed on behalf of the deceased person's estate to recover damages the victim suffered before their death, including pain and suffering.
Our attorneys understand the profound grief families experience after losing a loved one to nursing home negligence. We handle every aspect of the legal process so you can focus on your family. We investigate the circumstances of the death, obtain medical records and facility documents, consult with expert witnesses, and fight relentlessly to secure the maximum compensation available under California law.
Medication errors in nursing homes are alarmingly common and can have severe, even fatal, consequences. Elderly residents often take multiple medications with complex dosing schedules, making accurate medication management critical.
Common medication errors include administering the wrong medication, giving incorrect dosages, missing scheduled doses, failing to account for dangerous drug interactions, administering medications to the wrong patient, and using medications as chemical restraints to sedate residents for the convenience of staff rather than for medical necessity.
The practice of chemical restraint, where residents are given powerful sedatives or psychotropic drugs without a legitimate medical reason, is particularly troubling. Facilities may use these drugs to keep residents quiet and compliant, reducing the amount of care and attention they require. This practice is not only unethical but illegal under both federal and California state regulations.
Medication errors often stem from systemic problems within a facility: understaffing, inadequate training, poor communication between shifts, and failure to maintain accurate medication records. Our attorneys investigate these root causes to build cases that not only secure compensation for victims but also drive meaningful change in how facilities operate.