San Jose, California

Welcome to the San Jose nursing home neglect website, published by the Yeroushalmi Law. Many people would like to believe that the healthcare system works to protect the elderly patients who rely on subacute care. Unfortunately, studies have shown that elder abuse is widespread within the community of skilled nursing facilities, and will only become more blatant with time if not addressed. Our experienced team of elder abuse attorneys would like to take the opportunity to present information concerning common signs of nursing home neglect, in the hopes that you and your loved ones might be able to identify and avoid being mistreated or taken advantage of in such a situation.

Located in Santa Clara County, San Jose is the third largest city in California and the largest city within the Silicon Valley and Northern California. The city was founded as the first civilian town in a Spanish colony on November 29, 1777. San Jose also was California’s first capital when it became a state in 1850. While San Jose was initially a small farming city, it began to aggressively expand in the 1950s and 1960s which resulted in the city’s ending transition from agricultural center to urbanized, metropolitan area. By the 1990s, San Jose earned the nickname of Capital of Silicon Valley; as of January 2012, the population of the city was estimated to be 971,372 by the California Department of Finance. While San Jose shares the characteristics of intense urbanization and large-scale suburban sprawl with the Los Angeles area of Southern California, the city has taken measures in order to avoid becoming known as “L.A. North”. There are at least 19 skilled nursing facilities located within the city limits.

Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, are often a clear indication of elder abuse and neglect occurring within a nursing home. They form when constant pressure is exerted on one area of a patient’s body, and can cause the affected skin tissue to die. There are four stages of pressure ulcer severity, and an ulcer can progress rather rapidly once formed as they are harder to treat then they are to prevent. Pressure ulcers are usually caused by a complete disregard for an elderly person’s comfort and well-being, as they are easily prevented. The best means by which to prevent pressure ulcers from occurring is by repositioning the patient every two hours and attending to their other issues which could contribute to the formation of ulcers, such as poor blood circulation, incontinence, or cognitive issues. They can also form when a resident is physically restrained for long periods of time. As a result, bed sores are potentially a sign that the facility is understaffed.

There are tools made available to the general public that our law office encourages anyone to use in order to determine whether elder abuse is a reality in any subacute care system that you might place your loved ones in. According to the Patient’s Bill of Rights, it is within any resident’s rights to receive a minimum of 3.2 nursing hours per patient per day. As such, nursing facilities are required by the law to have a satisfactory amount of staff employed to suit the needs of the people in their care. Please contact us for a free consultation if you believe that your loved ones display pressure ulcers that you suspect might have come from a lack of care or abuse. Allow our lawyers to use their experience to aid you in your time of need.