California Personal Injury Blog

Two serious elder abuse cases in Bay Area nursing homes highlight the many different abuses inflicted upon seniors across the country by those entrusted to care for them. One of the incidents of elder abuse involved a 32-year-old San Francisco man who smothered an 87-year-old nursing home resident with a pillow in front of other nursing home staff and residents. The woman died in the incident and the attacker, a certified nursing assistant employed at the home for nearly ten years, had no previous criminal record or record of complaints against him.

The other elder abuse incident involved the theft of more than $50,000 from six elderly nursing home residents by a 51-year-old former assistant administrator of a Berkeley nursing home. In this case, the former administrator told her supervisor that one of their residents was being transferred to another nursing home. Instead, the woman moved the victim into her own home and started cashing her Social Security and pension checks. The victim reportedly received adequate care while in the woman’s home, but investigators found that the thief had also opened bank accounts for five other nursing home patients and transferred funds from those accounts into her own account.

“This is a shocking case of nursing-home abuse and a gross violation of trust,” said state Attorney General Jerry Brown.

The vast majority of people who care for the elderly are honest and hard-working people. However, elder abuse incidents spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of seniors. If you suspect abuse of a senior that you care for, call Southern California elder abuse attorney Samer Habbas today at 888.848.5084 for a free consultation. As an advocate of senior rights, he can provide guidance in the reporting of suspected abuse to the proper authorities and represent the abused senior in any civil litigation that may arise from the incident.

Resource link: Serious cases of elder abuse at two nursing homes in Berkeley CA

A 21-year-old nursing home employee faces a possible life sentence in connection with several egregious cases of alleged elder abuse. The man faces seven counts of elder abuse and one count of torture in a trial that began recently. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to life in prison. He is accused of mistreating patients under his care in unimaginable ways. Prosecutors in the case cited several examples of alleged abuse including jumping on a mute woman’s chest and slamming her into a bed when she struggled, encouraging wheelchair-bound residents to fight, jumping from a dresser and planting both knees into the stomach of a man suffering from dementia and others.

Investigators claim that the man deliberately chose people who suffered from dementia because their condition would prevent them from alerting anyone to the abuse.

“He attacked the most vulnerable people you can possibly find,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Robin Allen told a Van Nuys jury. “He hit them and he laughed. This was sport.”

The alleged abuses occurred at Silverado Senior Living in Calabasas, a facility where residents and their families spend $70,000 or more each year for ongoing care. California elder abuse lawyer Samer Habbas has many years of experience helping abuse victims and their families recover damages from individuals and facilities where abuse has occurred. Elder abuse is unconscionable, and Southern California elder abuse attorneys such as Mr. Habbas are dedicated to protecting seniors. If you have reason to believe that someone you know is being abused, call Long Beach elder abuse lawyer Samer Habbas today at 888.848.5084.

Resource link: Man Faces Possible Life Sentence for Elder Abuse and Torture

A recent San Jose Mercury News article claims that a former chief executive officer of a Kern County nursing home has entered a not guilty plea to criminal charges. The charges involve her alleged consent to allowing staff members at the nursing home to forcibly drug elderly patients, including three who died. The woman entered her not guilty plea recently after the California Attorney General’s office charged her with eight felony counts of elder abuse. The state claims that she knew the nursing director at the Kern Valley Health Care District’s nursing facility in Lake Isabella had ordered high doses of drugs for dementia patients to make them more tranquil and easy to manage.

According to the charges, the alleged drugging and elder abuse occurred from September 2006 to January 2007. Also charged in connection with the case of elder abuse in February 2009, was the director of nursing, a pharmacist and a staff physician. The woman, released on her recognizance, is now the CEO of a hospital in Fresno County.

(more…)