La Puente, California
This is the La Puente website for the Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi, Los Angeles Elder Abuse Attorneys who specialize in the fight against Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Negligence. We welcome you and wish to make you aware of the obligations that skilled nursing facilities have towards their patients, and what your options are if your facility has failed to meet those obligations.
Though heavily urbanized today, in the 1930's La Puente was known for its walnut groves, and was home to the world's largest walnut packing plant. The city's colors are green and white, and the city flower is the Golden Hibiscus. Notable residents of La Puente include Billy Laughlin who played "Froggy" in the Our Gang/Little Rascals comedies, professional football player Anthony Calvillo, and professional boxers Tony Balthazar and Steven Luevano. The population was 39,816 at the 2010 U.S. Census. La Puente has no Skilled Nursing Facilities, but you can search this website for one conveniently located to you.
Organization is a crucial factor in nursing homes today. Every patient is required to have extensive, detailed medical records. Section 483.20 of Title 42 of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations describes the Resident Assessment required of all skilled nursing facilities for every patient they admit. It says, basically, that upon admission and then every so often, facilities must conduct a comprehensive evaluation of each patient. Among the things that must be recorded are communication, vision, customary routine, mood, physical capabilities, continence, nutrition and of course, medications. Otherwise, the patient faces many potential dangers, one of which is polypharmacy--the overuse of multiple prescription medications at one time.
In November 2011, The New England Journal of Medicine published a study titled "Emergency Hospitalizations for Adverse Drug Events in Elder Adults. You can read our blog about it on this website. The study named four prescription medicines that cause two thirds of overdoses in the elderly. These are not unusual or high risk drugs, but commonplace and much prescribed blood thinners and antidiabetics. These kinds of drugs require close monitoring in the patients, routine blood tests to attain and maintain optimal safe dosages. So if you have a loved one currently living in a skilled nursing facility, it is vital that you make sure the providers are up to date and keeping close check on your loved one. All of these protocols require adequate staffing. Without it, your loved one is in peril of nursing home injuries and perhaps even death.
If you feel you or your loved one has been a victim of Elder Abuse or Nursing Home Neglect, please contact us today. We will advocate on your behalf, and zealously fight to get you and your loved ones the compensation you deserve. You won't have to handle the frustration and stress alone. A consultation is free, and if you cannot come to us, we will come to your home or hospital bed to meet with you.