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Classic Signs of Elder Neglect

On Behalf of | Jan 2, 2020 | Law Articles

Classic Signs of Elder Neglect – Rise to the Level of Neglect

I’m Wendy York from the York Law Firm in Sacramento.

If you are offended by graphic descriptions or images, please turn off this video or read no further. I apologize in advance to anyone who might find the following information distasteful but there is no other way for me to convey this information without getting into some important and graphic details.

York Law Firm gets calls every day from people whose loved ones may have been neglected or abused in an institution, such as a nursing home, hospital, or elder care facility, or by an institutional caregiver in a home setting. The question they always ask is: do the injuries suffered by my relative rise to the level of neglect?

Elderly people in facilities can easily experience physical problems, but the kinds of cases that constitute neglect are usually clear-cut.

For example, we see Stage 4 Bedsores that extend all the way into a patient’s bone. That means the bedsores have gone through the outer layer of skin, the second layer of skin, the fatty layer below the skin, and have now reached muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bone. At that point, if someone has Stage 4 Bedsores, they are at a very high risk of death and must receive medical treatment immediately.

Surprisingly, healthcare professionals in hospitals see such patients being admitted to their facilities on a regular basis and don’t question how such things happen. The patients are old so they’re bound to have bedsores, or broken bones, right? In fact, that’s not true.

When we see cases involving Stage 4 Bedsores, it nearly always points to a facility’s failure to provide care and services, usually by leaving an elderly resident being left alone and not moving for an extended period. Such patients are usually also suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, and those are classic signs of elder neglect.

We help families whose loved ones have suffered from elder abuse or neglect. If you have concerns about a loved one in a care facility, please give us a call at York Law Firm.

I’m Wendy York from York Law Firm in Sacramento. Thank you for watching.

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