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Kern County Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Lawyers
Kern County is the home of 20 nursing homes and over 100 licensed assisted living facilities for the elderly, most of which are located in Bakersfield. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are licensed separately, and offer different services, but both have the capacity to neglect or abuse vulnerable senior citizens. When they do, the Kern County Nursing Home neglect lawyers at Southern California Nursing Home Law Group are available to bring justice to those individuals and families who have suffered harm.
If you believe that a loved one may have been neglected or abuse, or suffered an illness or injury that was unexpected, call us today for a free consultation.
What Constitutes Elder Abuse or Neglect?Under California’s Elder Abuse Act, “elder abuse” is defined as any physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, isolation, abduction, or other treatment that results in harm, pain or mental suffering to an elder (65+) or “dependent adult” (18-64) who is residing in a 24-hour custodial care setting. A dependent adult is a person 18 or older who is unable to carry out activities of daily living due to impairments.
What Might Neglect Look Like in a Kern County 24-Hour Nursing Facility?- Neglect: Neglect occurs when caregivers fail to protect an elder or dependent adult from health and safety hazards. This most often occurs when a caregiver fails to provide the care and treatment necessary for good health, or to treat an injury or illness. A failure to prevent falls, bedsores, or malnutrition/dehydration would all be considered neglect.
- Physical Abuse: This abuse is essentially assault and is often a crime and a civil offence. It is defined as the intentional infliction of physical pain or injury, sexual assault or molestation, or the unlawful use of physical or chemical restraints to punish the elder or dependent adult.
- Abandonment: Abandonment is the desertion or willful forsaking of an senior or dependent adult by anyone having care or custody of that person under circumstances in which a reasonable person would continue to provide care and custody.
- Negligence: Negligence by nursing caregivers would constitute any conduct that falls below the recognized standard of care and results in harm, such as injury, illness, or death to the elder or dependent adult.
Our Kern County nursing home neglect lawyers have seen almost every imaginable type of neglect and abuse in the nursing home setting, but there are categories of harm that tend to make up most of the cases. The foundation for most lawsuits against nursing homes in California arise from the following issues:
- Bed sores
- Falls/Fractures
- Wandering / Elopement from Memory Care
- Physical or sexual abuse by another resident
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
- Failure to provide necessary medical care
- Failure to contact a doctor/transport to a hospital
These types of cases represent the majority of elder abuse and neglect cases, but by no means all. To see detailed examples of cases the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group has handled, click the link to Real Cases.
Kern County Elder Neglect & Abuse Legal Resources Kern County Adult Protective Services.Ombudsman. Long-Term Care Ombudsman representatives assist Kern County residents in long-term care facilities with issues related to day-to-day care. Call (661) 323-7884
Adult Protective Services. To report suspected elder abuse or neglect call Aging and Independent Services at (661) 868-1000.
California Department of Public Health. For complaints about a nursing home, contact the Kern County office of the California Department of Public Health at (661) 336-0543 or toll free at (866) 222-1903.
California Department of Social Services. For complaints against an assisted facility, or to check license status, call (559) 243-8080.
Request a Free Consultation With an Experienced Kern County Elder Abuse LawyersContact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group. Our Kern County nursing home abuse attorneys provide free consultations in cases concerning abuse, neglect, or malpractice in the nursing home or residential care setting. We can be reached at (866) 607-1325 or by completing the online questionnaire.
