Nursing Home Abuse in California

The subject of nursing home abuse is one that touches the heart and sparks outrage. People are afraid to put their elderly relatives in a nursing home for fear that the relative will be mistreated or neglected – both are forms of nursing home abuse.

However, it is inevitable that many more seniors will eventually become a resident of a nursing home as the Baby Boomer generation begins to retire.

But what constitutes as nursing home abuse?

Abuse can come in many forms such as being physically abused, yelled at or denied medications. Often, many cases are never reported or discovered until it is too late.

While nursing home abuse is not limited to one state, the state of California records a lot more incidents of nursing home abuse than most others simply because of the number of residents and homes that are available in the state.

Statistics from the California Office of the Attorney General have revealed that residents in California nursing homes are restrained physically and chemically (by drugs) more than twice as often as other states nationwide. Furthermore, many of the nursing homes in California are not equipped or well staffed to take care of the residents, yet they continue to operate.

Just as alarming, nursing homes in California have been found falsifying medical records for Medicare patients. Falsifying medical records as well as perpetrating Medicare scams is not a new to the nursing homes in California and in homes across the nation.

Recently, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of nursing home residents who were denied insurance coverage because they were classified by the hospital as being under observation in a hospital setting prior to the nursing home placement, rather than classified as inpatients. Being classified as an inpatient would have given the insurance company cause for covering nursing home placement but instead, the elderly patients were denied coverage.

Elders should never be exposed to the incidents that occur in these nursing homes every day. With more cases of elder abuse being reported each year, and with the increasing need of these nursing homes, it is important that you thoroughly research the nursing home you intend on placing your loved one in as it will help reduce chances that your loved one will be abused.