Bakersfield Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Attorneys

What are the different types of Bakersfield nursing home abuse and neglect?

Our Bakersfield lawyers handle nursing home abuse and neglect cases related to:

• Physical abuse. Any use of force and the utilization of physical or chemical restraints.
• Sexual abuse. Nonconsensual sexual acts, such as forcing a resident to witness sexual activities or engaging in such conduct. Perpetrators of sexual abuse may include nursing home staff, visitors, and fellow residents.
• Neglect. Intentionally depriving a resident of daily living necessities, medications, communication with family, and failing to protect the rights of each resident. Our Bakersfield lawyers represent loved ones in cases of intentional neglect (gross neglect) or irresponsible neglect (general neglect).

Neglect also covers instances where a resident is allowed to wander away from the facility or is completely abandoned.

Nursing home medication mistakes

Prescription medications characteristically carry certain risks, and when combined with other drugs, these dangers can escalate. In Bakersfield nursing homes, where residents often take multiple medications, the potential for complications increases. According to the US National Institute for Health (NIH), medication mistakes contribute to 7,000 to 9,000 deaths annually in the US, with numerous additional cases of unreported complications.

The NIH defines a medication error as any preventable event that could result in inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is under the control of healthcare professionals, patients, or consumers. Such events may involve various aspects of the healthcare system, including prescribing, order communication, product labeling, packaging, compounding, dispensing, distribution, administration, education, monitoring, and use.

At Garcia & Artigliere, our Bakersfield nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys hold nursing homes and medical staff accountable for medication mistakes. We pursue personal injury and wrongful death actions when nursing homes neglect to:

• Understand the reasons behind each resident's prescribed medication.
• Ensure each resident receives the correct medications in the proper dosages at the designated times.
• Administer medications through appropriate methods, such as orally or by injection.
• Review the risks and potential interactions of each drug.
• Scrutinize each resident's medical chart.
• Accurately document when medications were administered and any observed side effects.
• Provide a proper diagnosis.
• Establish an individual healthcare plan for each resident.
• Monitor for signs of side effects or medication disorders.
• Offer prompt medical care in the presence of any side effects or medical disorders.

Delayed or denied stroke treatment

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 16 percent of heart conditions are associated with strokes, with almost 800,000 people experiencing a stroke annually, leading to around 200,000 deaths.

Many elderly residents of Bakersfield nursing homes face the risk of ischemic or hemorrhaging strokes. Administering tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within three hours of stroke symptoms significantly increases the chances of saving the senior's life by breaking up blood clots that impede blood flow to the brain. Immediate care can also help minimize the damage caused by hemorrhaging strokes, characterized by bleeding in the brain.

At Garcia & Artigliere, our Bakersfield nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys have the experience to prove when a nursing home has failed to prevent a parent or loved one from receiving timely and potentially life-saving medical care for a stroke.