The Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi offers our legal services to the city of Concord, California. This webpage is dedicated to informing this community of the prevalence of elder abuse in California nursing homes. Our California office is equipped with the knowledge and experience to help you with your nursing home neglect case. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi specialize in elder abuse litigation and are very compassionate about protecting the rights of nursing home neglect victims.
Concord is located in the east San Francisco Bay Area. The city was founded in 1869, and in 1942, the Concord Naval Weapons Station was established. Renowned movie star Tom Hanks was born in Concord. Hanks is famous for his role in the movie Forrest Gump, along with many others. The city’s current population is 122,067 and there are five skilled nursing facilities in Concord.
Despite the prevalence of elder abuse in skilled nursing facilities, few people realize the seriousness of such practices. For-profit facilities, especially, prey on the most vulnerable members of the community – the elderly and the sick, who may or may not have friends or relatives to look out for them. Although it is the nursing home’s responsibility to care for its residents, it is still especially important for you to watch your loved one like a hawk.
Over the years, our nursing home neglect attorneys have heard countless stories from our clients about nursing homes intentionally concealing the development of their loved ones’ injuries. It is important for you to be aware that skilled nursing facilities have an incentive to conceal injuries due to various programs and laws that have been put in place by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. While Medicare’s No-Pay Rule makes facilities ineligible for funding to treat injuries acquired within the facility, the Department of Health and Human Services actually offers incentives to facilities that can reduce incidences of preventable injuries. Therefore, facilities will often intentionally conceal the development of injuries in order to avoid liability, and to continue to receive funding from government healthcare organizations.
Unfortunately, however, this intentional concealment entails that the patient will not receive the care and treatment that he or she needs. Preventable injuries, such as pressure ulcers and infections, however, have a higher chance of being treated successfully if they are discovered early on. Pressure ulcers have four stages and each stage warrants a different type of treatment. A stage I pressure ulcer can usually be resolved with medicated ointments, repositioning, and special mattresses or cushions. However, if the wound is allowed to develop into a life-threatening stage IV pressure ulcer, it is more likely to become infected and the patient may require hospitalization and much more intensive treatments. Meanwhile, infections, such as C. difficile, MRSA, scabies, and sepsis require immediate medical attention so that patients can receive necessary antibiotics.
Pressure ulcers and infections, which are highly preventable in the first place, lead to extreme pain and suffering, and sometimes even death. At the Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi, we are dedicated to protecting the rights of the elderly and alleviating any pain that you and your loved one may have suffered. We understand that this is a difficult time for you, and will do everything we can to take care of all the legal aspects. Contact us today for a free consultation.