San Bernardino Memory Care Home Neglect

Everyone wants to ensure that their elderly loved ones receive the best possible care, yet it can be extremely difficult to identify the best facility for a parent or other elderly relative who requires a particular kind of care. In most circumstances, memory care homes (or memory care facilities, as they may be called) are designed specifically for seniors with memory or cognitive issues. Yet these types of facilities are also just one kind of assisted-living facility, and as such, seniors can be vulnerable to abuse or neglect, or general staff malpractice.

If you have any concerns about your loved one’s safety or health in a facility that holds itself out as providing “memory care”, you should get in touch with an experienced San Bernardino memory care home neglect lawyer as soon as you can.

How can you identify signs or symptoms of neglect at a memory care home or facility in San Bernadino? As the National Council on Aging (NCOA) emphasizes, there are many different forms of elder abuse and neglect, and each often has varying signs and symptoms. Accordingly, it can be difficult to clearly identify abuse or neglect in certain situations. As such, if you notice any of the following, you should seek advice from a San Bernardino memory care home neglect attorney about helping your elderly loved one:

• Physical marks or injuries like bruising, burns, cuts, welts, bone fractures, or dislocated joints;
• Emotional or psychological changes, including agitation or loss of interest in activities;
• Wandering or eloping to areas of the home, or outside the home, in dangerous areas;
• Indications of a lack of necessary care, such as untreated infections or bed sores;
• Dirty room or living conditions;
• Malnutrition; and/or
• Dehydration.

What is the difference between a memory care home or facility and a nursing home in San Bernardino? It is essential to be clear that neglect and abuse can occur at any type of facility where a senior resides and receives care — at a nursing home, as well as at a memory care home, a board and care home, or any other type of assisted-living facility. The signs of abuse or neglect do not change. However, it is important to understand how memory care homes differ from nursing homes and other types of facilities.

According to WebMD, “nursing homes and memory care facilities are two residential options for caregivers who are managing serious Alzheimer’s symptoms like wandering, emotional outbursts, and personality changes.” As WebMD clarifies, “both types of facilities provide long-term care for people with memory loss, but there are differences.” Most significantly, nursing homes provide medical care, while memory care homes — a type of assisted-living facility in California — do not provide medical care but provide a more limited level of care that includes assistance with day-to-day living and activities of daily living (ADLs).

Do you have concerns about an elderly loved one who resides at a memory care facility in the San Bernardino area or elsewhere in Southern California? One of our experienced San Bernardino memory care home neglect lawyers can help. Contact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group today for more information and a free case consultation.