When you trust a nursing home to care for your loved one, you expect the staff to do so with compassion. Unfortunately, neglect and abuse happen all too often in these situations.
If you suspect your loved one is being abused or even taken advantage of, our Santa Ana nursing home abuse lawyers at Omega Law Group Accident & Injury Attorneys can advocate for you and your family member. We bring decades of combined experience representing families harmed by negligent care facilities.
Our legal team puts our clients first, always! Let our personal injury lawyers in Santa Ana take care of your family while you focus on your loved one’s health and well-being.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse in Santa Ana
Nursing home abuse can take many forms, which means it’s not always easy to spot right away. Just know that any sudden or unexplained change in your loved one’s behavior or health could signal that something is wrong.
Our Santa Ana nursing home abuse attorneys help families identify these warning signs and gather the evidence needed to take action. Examples of nursing home abuse and neglect include:
Physical Injuries
If your family member has any unexplained bruises, cuts, sores, or even broken bones, this could indicate rough handling or negligent assistance. Repeated accidents, especially falls, can also be a sign that residents aren’t being adequately supervised or moved safely. Any injury that staff cannot clearly explain should be taken seriously.
Poor Hygiene
When poor or negligent care is occurring, you might notice your loved one sitting in clothing that hasn’t been changed or resting on bedding that is damp or unclean. Their hair may appear untouched for days, or their skin may show signs of irritation from not being washed.
If you detect any decline in grooming or overall cleanliness, it’s a strong indicator that staff are not providing the daily care your loved one depends on.
Medication Issues
If your loved one seems unusually disoriented or not themselves, it could be a sign that staff members are not administering their medications correctly. Issues with their pill organizer or doses appearing skipped are also problematic and deserve immediate attention.
Emotional Mistreatment
Pay attention to how your loved one reacts around certain staff members. If they tense up or seem reluctant to speak, it may point to abuse in the form of emotional pressure or intimidation.
In these cases, you might also notice them being less interested in their hobbies or being less social. These types of emotional and behavioral changes often happen when a resident no longer feels safe or respected in their environment.
Neglect
If your loved one seems weaker each time you visit or is developing preventable issues like skin sores or infections, this could mean there are lapses in basic care. Residents who are not repositioned and checked on regularly, or not given enough food and water, can decline quickly.
Unsanitary Living Conditions
When you visit, you should feel like your loved one is living somewhere clean and cared for. If the room smells stale and the floors are dirty, or if food and other items are left sitting around, it often means basic upkeep is being overlooked. Even small lapses in cleanliness can snowball into bigger health problems for residents who rely on a safe and clean environment.
Financial Exploitation
If your loved one suddenly seems stressed about money or mentions charges that don’t make sense, it’s worth taking a closer look. They could also be entirely unaware of their finances being taken advantage of, which is why it’s important for their family to pay attention for them.
Not only are unexplained transactions a sign of financial exploitation, but so are things going missing from their room, like jewelry or cash.
If you still have questions about what counts as elder abuse, the National Institute on Aging offers helpful guidance on common signs and red flags.
How a Santa Ana Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help
When you approach a nursing home about your suspicion of abuse or neglect, staff and administrators could try to minimize what happened or offer flimsy excuses. This is, sadly, a common issue in care facilities with poor management and negligent staff, which is why contacting a lawyer is often necessary.
Our nursing home abuse attorneys at Omega Law Group have dealt with many cases like this. We know how to communicate with nursing home administrators and can explain the types of evidence to report for a case of elder abuse. Our legal team can:
- Review medical records, photographs, facility logs, and staff schedules.
- Speak directly with witnesses.
- Gather documentation that the facility may not voluntarily share.
- Request camera footage or incident reports.
- Work with medical providers to determine how injuries occurred.
- Identify all responsible parties, from individual employees to corporate owners.
- Communicate with insurance companies on your behalf.
- Create a clear, organized case showing exactly how the abuse happened.
Our goal is to make the process as stress-free as possible. We handle the legal work so you can stay focused on your loved one’s safety and recovery.
(310) 526-8383Damages You Could Potentially Recover in a Santa Ana Nursing Home Abuse Case
Abuse in a nursing home can create ongoing problems that don’t go away immediately simply because you addressed the issue. Your loved one may need more care or even a new facility, and they might also need help emotionally in addition to any treatment for their physical injuries.
As your legal team, we work to recover compensation that fits your loved one’s specific situation. Depending on the facts of your case, damages you could recover compensation for may include the following:
- Medical bills
- Hospital visits
- Prescription medications
- Physical therapy
- Mobility aids
- Follow-up care
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Relocation to a safer facility
- In-home care costs
- Additional caregiving support
- Transportation expenses
- Medical supplies
- Out-of-pocket costs related to the abuse
- Funeral costs (in wrongful death cases)
Omega Law Group gets results, having recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. We fight to ensure your loved one receives the care and respect they deserve, in addition to financial compensation.
What to Do if You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse in Santa Ana
It can be unsettling when something doesn’t feel right with your loved one’s care. Even if the facility staff and administrators brush you off, trust your instincts. Taking action early can protect your loved one and help you understand what’s really going on.
Our nursing home abuse attorneys in Santa Ana can guide you through the necessary steps to ensure you have a strong case. These include:
- Documenting what you see: Take photos, note dates, save messages, and track changes in your loved one’s condition or behavior.
- Speaking with your loved one: If they can communicate, ask open questions and listen closely to any concerns they share.
- Reporting immediate danger: If your loved one is in urgent harm, contact local authorities right away.
- Requesting medical evaluation: A doctor can determine whether your loved one’s injuries are consistent with neglect or abuse.
- Speaking with a lawyer: An attorney can guide you through reporting, filling out important documentation, and gathering evidence while protecting your loved one from retaliation from the nursing home company.
Protect Your Loved One’s Safety With Our Santa Ana Nursing Home Abuse Law Firm
When you find out a nursing home hasn’t been taking proper care of your loved one, it can be hard to know what to do next. Our team at Omega Law Group is here to make the process more manageable. Our priority is to make sure your loved one is safe while pursuing the support your family needs to move forward. Contact us today for more information and a free consultation.
