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Compassionate Riverside County Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

Elder abuse and nursing home abuse are ongoing problems throughout California. It is a sad statistic that approximately one in three elder homes has conditions which lead to neglect or to the abuse of the elderly in their care. Fortunately, there is hope for victims of elder abuse.

An attorney at the Law Offices of Sklar & Sklar can offer an elder abuse victim and his or her family a consultation in order to discuss the situation which is currently occurring or which occurred in the past. By using legal knowledge and experience in this area, the attorneys at Sklar & Sklar are able to create a plan in order to take immediate legal action. The goal will be to A) stop the abuse from continuing to occur and B) to hold the family member, caregiver or nursing home responsible for their conduct.

By taking legal action with an experienced lawyer, an elder abuse victim may be able to seek and recover monetary compensation in order to pay for medical costs, as well as emotional pain and suffering.

ELDER ABUSE & NEGLECT IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY

The Palm Springs elder abuse lawyers at the Law Offices of Sklar & Sklar have seen the terrible situations which elder members of our community have found themselves in. Neglect, physical abuse, financial abuse, emotional abuse and malnutrition may all become common experiences for an elder who is in the care of an irresponsible skilled nursing home, relative, caregiver, or healthcare provider. The lawyers at Sklar & Sklar truly believe in making a difference to stop elder abuse.

Reports of elder adults (age 65 and older) and dependent adults (disabled adults aged 18 – 64) who are unable to meet their own needs or are victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation can be made as follows:

1. To Your County Adult Protective Services (APS) agency. The Web site of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) lists the county APS offices in all 58 counties. County APS agencies investigate reports of abuse of elders and dependent adults who live in private homes and hotels, or hospitals and health clinics, when the abuser is not a staff member. From the CDSS Web site, follow the “Report Abuse” link to find county APS information at www.dss.cahwnet.gov/cdssweb

2. To the Licensing and Certification Program of the California Department of Health Services (DHS). DHS Licensing and Certification oversees health facilities such as nursing homes. If you do not want to discuss the problem with anyone in the nursing home, and you believe the nursing home is not or has not protected your rights or the rights of others, you may call the Department of Health Services, Licensing and Certification District Office. The telephone number of the office should be posted in nursing homes and also listed in the “Licensing and Certification,” “Nursing Home Residents Rights Fact Sheets” section of the DHS Web site:  www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/LnC/Pages/LnC.aspx

3. To the Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Office of the California Department of Aging or local Ombudsman Programs statewide. The Ombudsman handles reports of abuse that occur in a nursing home, a board and care home, a residential facility, or a long-term care facility. Local Ombudsman Program phone numbers are posted in care facilities and local and state program phone numbers are available at the Department of Aging Web site: http://oag.ca.gov/bmfea

4. To the California Attorney General Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, which works to protect patients from abuse or neglect in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. To report elder abuse, contact the Attorney General’s toll-free hotline at (800) 722-0432 http://oag.ca.gov/bmfea

5. To any local law enforcement agency

(Above Sources: California Department of Consumer Affairs Website)

The lawyers at the Law Offices of Sklar & Sklar provide compassionate yet aggressive representation for its clients in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Indio, Coachella, Joshua Tree, Morongo Valley, Banning, Desert Hot Springs, Beaumont, Moreno Valley, Thousand Palms, Bermuda Dunes, and Twentynine Palms.