Protecting Benicia's Elders: Your Guide to Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Placing a beloved family member in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or arranging for in-home care is a decision rooted in trust. You trust that the caregivers and facility will provide a safe, compassionate, and professional environment, and provide the care that allows your loved on to thrive. Unfortunately, that trust is sometimes broken through abuse and neglect, leaving California’s most vulnerable residents in the North Bay area at risk.

In Benicia, families have access to only one skilled nursing facility and three assisted living facilities for their loved ones. While many provide excellent care, the risk of neglect or abuse is always present. Understanding your rights and knowing the warning signs is the first step toward protecting your family.

Abuse and neglect in a care setting can take many forms. If you observe any of these signs, you may have grounds to pursue a legal case to hold the responsible parties accountable.

• Neglect: The failure of a caregiver or facility to provide the goods or services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish, or illness.
• Physical Abuse: Any use of physical force that results in bodily injury, pain, or impairment. This includes hitting, pushing, shaking, or the improper use of physical or chemical restraints.
• Emotional or Psychological Abuse: Infliction of anguish, pain, or distress through verbal or non-verbal acts, such as yelling, threatening, humiliating, or isolating a resident.

Custodial neglect is one of the most common and dangerous forms of mistreatment in care facilities. It is often a result of understaffing, poor training, or systemic failures. An experienced Benicia nursing home neglect lawyer can investigate these issues. Examples include:

• Failure to Prevent Bedsores: Allowing painful and potentially fatal pressure ulcers to develop (or worsen) by not properly monitoring a resident’s skin condition, and no repositioning residents regularly under a care plan.
• Malnutrition and Dehydration: Not providing adequate food and water or failing to assist residents who need help eating and drinking.
• Medication Errors: Administering the wrong medication, the wrong dose, or failing to provide prescribed medication on time.
• Failure to Prevent Falls: Not implementing proper safety protocols for at-risk residents, leading to falls that cause fractures and other serious injuries.
• Failure to Obtain Medical Care: When a resident needs to see a doctor or be sent to the hospital the facility must take appropriate action.

If you suspect your family member is a victim of abuse or neglect in a Benicia or Solano County care facility, do not wait. Your voice can be their best defense. An experienced nursing home abuse attorney in Benicia can protect their rights and seek justice for the harm they have suffered.

At Nursing Home Law Group, we are dedicated to fighting for the elderly. For more than 20 years, our Benicia lawyers for nursing home neglect have been representing individuals and families throughout Solano County and the state of California. We have a long and successful history of suing negligent nursing homes and securing the compensation victims deserve.

We take all cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case. All consultations are completely free and confidential. Contacting a Benicia nursing home neglect lawyer is the most important step you can take. Call Nursing Home Law Group today to have your case investigated by a team that cares.