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Fighting for elders and dependent adults across Los Angeles County. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
MALTRATO A PERSONAS MAYORES
When a nursing home takes your money and breaks their promise of care for your loved one, you have the power to hold them accountable. In qualifying cases, California law provides remedies that may include attorney's fees paid by the facility, damages paid to you, and claims that can continue even after your loved one passes. Based in Woodland Hills and Irvine, the elder abuse attorneys at Berglund & Johnson have recovered compensation for injured Californians for decades. If someone hurt your loved one, call 1-800-4-IF-HURT for a free consultation.
LA LEY
El maltrato a las personas mayores se define como un acto único o reiterado, o la falta de acción apropiada, que ocurre dentro de cualquier relación de confianza y que causa daño o sufrimiento a una persona mayor. Esta definición fue adoptada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud a partir de una definición propuesta por Hourglass en el Reino Unido.
ABUSO
Incluye abuso físico, negligencia, abuso financiero, abandono, aislamiento, secuestro, restricciones irrazonables, abuso verbal, acoso o cualquier otro trato que resulte en daño físico, dolor o sufrimiento mental.
DESCUIDO
Incumplimiento de la obligación de prestar asistencia en materia de higiene personal o de proporcionar alimentos, ropa o refugio. Incumplimiento de la obligación de proporcionar atención médica para las necesidades de salud física y mental. Incumplimiento de la obligación de proteger contra los riesgos para la salud y la seguridad. Incumplimiento de la obligación de prevenir la desnutrición o la deshidratación.
¿Quién está protegido?
California elder abuse law protects two groups: elders and dependent adults. Elders, or senior citizens, are anyone ages 65 or older. Dependent adults are adults ages 18 to 64 with physical or mental limitations that cause them to require assistance with normal activities and protecting their own rights.
ANCIANOS
Cualquier persona que tenga 65 años de edad o más.
ADULTOS DEPENDIENTES
Cualquier persona, entre los 18 y los 64 años de edad, que tenga limitaciones físicas o mentales que restrinjan su capacidad para realizar actividades normales o para proteger sus propios derechos.
¿Por qué están protegidos?
Desde hace tiempo se reconoce que las personas mayores y otros adultos dependientes son especialmente vulnerables a la negligencia y el maltrato en las residencias de ancianos. Estas residencias prometen a las familias que proporcionarán la atención y los servicios que sus seres queridos necesitan. Lamentablemente, estas residencias tienen poco personal y no capacitan adecuadamente a sus empleados. Lo hacen para maximizar sus ganancias.
¿QUÉ SUCEDE COMÚNMENTE?
Common signs of nursing home neglect include bedsores, unexplained bruises or fractures, rapid weight loss, dehydration, poor hygiene, untreated infections, and sudden sedation or confusion. Families are usually the first to notice. Staff see a resident on a shift; you see the change from one visit to the next. Depending on the facts, any of these may support a claim for neglect or elder abuse.
Úlceras por presión o “escaras”
Bedsores, also called pressure ulcers or pressure injuries, develop when a resident is left in one position long enough to cut off blood flow, typically at the tailbone, hips, and heels. They are graded Stage 1 through Stage 4, and courts often treat advanced-stage sores as evidence of neglect because routine repositioning every two hours prevents most of them. A facility's failure to turn a bedbound resident is one of the clearest care-failure signals in these cases. If your loved one developed a Stage 3 or 4 pressure injury in a care facility, a bedsore lawyer can review the medical records and staffing logs to determine whether the standard was met.
Úlceras por presión o “escaras”
Upon admission to an elder care facility, every resident should be assessed for fall risk, and the facility must implement precautions. These include bed alarms, adequate lighting, grab bars, hand rails, and supervised transfers. Facilities know what a broken hip means for someone in their eighties. Repeated falls, or falls occurring without staff witnesses and proper explanation, can point to inadequate supervision or understaffing.
Úlceras por presión o “escaras”
Using medication primarily for staff convenience rather than for an appropriate medical purpose may support a claim involving improper chemical restraint or substandard care, depending on the resident’s condition, physician orders, consent, and applicable regulations.. A sleeping resident doesn't press the call button, so understaffed facilities may sedate residents to manage their workload. Warning signs include sudden lethargy, cognitive changes, slurred speech, loss of mobility, and behavioral shifts that begin after admission or a medication change.
Úlceras por presión o “escaras”
Unexplained weight loss, sunken eyes, dry mouth, dark urine, confusion, and lethargy can indicate a resident isn't receiving adequate food and fluids. Staff chart intake every shift. When weight loss or dehydration develops over time, the records often raise questions about monitoring, documentation, escalation, and whether staff responded appropriately to warning signs.
Úlceras por presión o “escaras”
Recurring urinary tract infections, untreated wounds, soiled bedding or clothing, and avoidable physical deterioration are signs a facility may be failing at basic care. One missed bath is an accident. Soiled bedding on three straight visits is a staffing problem.
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Úlceras por presión o “escaras”
Residents with dementia or cognitive decline require supervision and secured environments. When a resident wanders out of the facility, called elopement, or is injured while unsupervised, the question becomes what the facility's own care plan required and whether anyone followed it. The same applies when staff failed to answer call lights or missed clear signs of distress. Our nursing home neglect lawyers investigate what the facility knew, when they knew it, and whether staffing levels made the harm predictable.
¿Por qué sucede?
• Falta de personal
• Falta de capacitación
• Instalaciones sobrecargadas
• Cultura corporativa
¿Quién es el responsable legal?
• Residencias de ancianos / Centros de cuidados especializados
• Residencias asistidas
• Centros de atención residencial
• Hospitales
¿Por qué sucede?
• Falta de personal
• Falta de capacitación
• Instalaciones sobrecargadas
• Cultura corporativa
¿Por qué sucede?
• Falta de personal
• Falta de capacitación
• Instalaciones sobrecargadas
• Cultura corporativa
AGENDA UNA CONSULTA GRATUITA
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Preguntas frecuentes
Elder Abuse FAQ's
Common signs of nursing home neglect include bedsores, unexplained weight loss, dehydration, repeated falls, poor hygiene, untreated infections, sudden sedation or confusion, and injuries staff can't explain. These patterns develop over time, and depending on the facts, they may support a claim for neglect or elder abuse. Documenting what you see, with dates and photographs where possible, helps preserve the record.
Yes. Bedsores are among the strongest indicators of neglect because most are preventable with routine repositioning and skin checks. Courts often treat Stage 3 and Stage 4 pressure injuries as evidence that a facility failed to follow basic care standards. If your loved one developed advanced bedsores in a facility, it's worth having an attorney review how it happened.
Unexplained weight loss, lack of fluids, and nutritional decline are common warning signs of serious care failures. Facilities are responsible for monitoring residents' food and fluid intake, so these conditions rarely develop without repeated missed opportunities to intervene. Depending on the facts, dehydration or malnutrition may support a claim, and medical records from the facility often show what staff knew and when.
The elder can sue directly. If the elder lacks capacity, a conservator, guardian, or agent under a power of attorney can bring the claim on their behalf. If the elder has died, the personal representative of the estate, or in some circumstances the heirs, can pursue the claim.
Elder abuse cases are proven with medical records, facility staffing logs, state inspection reports, photographs of injuries, and witness accounts from staff and other families. Basic claims require a preponderance of the evidence. Enhanced remedies under EADACPA require clear and convincing evidence of recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice. The sooner an attorney starts preserving evidence, the more of it survives.
An elder abuse attorney costs nothing upfront in most cases because these claims are handled on contingency, meaning the fee comes out of the recovery. If we don't win, you owe us nothing. California's elder abuse statute also lets courts order the defendant to pay your attorney's fees in qualifying cases, on top of your damages.
The statute of limitations is generally two years from the injury for elder abuse and neglect claims. Claims against government-run facilities carry notice deadlines as short as six months. Waiting costs evidence. Records get purged and witnesses scatter.
The remedies. Medical malpractice claims in California are capped by MICRA on non-economic damages. Elder abuse and medical negligence are different claims, and the distinction can significantly affect available remedies. In appropriate elder abuse cases, plaintiffs may seek statutory remedies beyond those available in ordinary negligence actions, which is why how the claim is investigated and pled matters.Facilities push hard to reclassify neglect as "mere malpractice" for exactly this reason. How your claim is pled directly changes what it's worth.
Call 911 for emergencies. Otherwise, report abuse in homes and the community to Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services, and abuse in nursing homes or care facilities to the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Reporting protects your loved one. Talking to an elder abuse lawyer protects their legal claim. Do both, in that order if the danger is immediate.
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