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San Francisco Elder Abuse Lawyers
Experienced San Francisco elder abuse attorneys helping the elderly
Seniors should be treasured for their wisdom, warmth, and memories. They should be free from any type of abuse. Sadly, many caretakers prioritize profit over treasure. Many caretakers lack the experience and ability to protect seniors from physical, sexual, or emotional harm. Some caretakers are incompetent. Tragically, some are just mean. The risk of abuse of the elderly (anyone 60 or older) increases when the senior has physical challenges or cognitive disabilities such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. At Garcia & Artigliere, our San Francisco elder abuse lawyers have helped more than 3,500 victims of abuse and neglect obtain strong recoveries. Our record of success includes more than 50 recoveries of $1 million or more. We’re ready to help your parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or any other relative or friend hold caretakers accountable for abusing a loved one. Contact us today.
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How can our San Francisco elder abuse lawyers help?
What is elder abuse?
At Garcia & Artigliere, our San Francisco elder abuse lawyers fight for seniors who are abused in long-term care facilities, their own homes, and other caretaker settings. We skillfully handle all types of senior abuse including:
- Physical abuse. Physical abuse includes any forceful touching of a senior, including pushing, slapping, hitting, slapping, or striking. The use of physical or chemical restraints against the advice of the senior’s doctors and denying a senior their medications is also a form of physical abuse.
- Sexual abuse. Sexual abuse involves forcing a senior to participate in or watch sexual acts without the senior’s consent. Sexual abuse includes any type of sexual assault, including rape and promises that the senior will be treated better if they consent to sexual acts. Many elder San Francisco seniors know their abusers. Abusers can include staff members, visitors, contractors, and other residents. Seniors are often seen as sexual targets because of their inability to resist and, for some, their inability to remember.
- Emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is often used by staff members as a form of control or punishment when patience and understanding are called for. Examples include insults, screaming, social isolation, and creating a sense that seniors will be punished or harmed.
- Neglect. Assisted living facilities, home care agencies, and other caretakers know in advance the challenges every senior is likely to have and the specific challenges of the people in their care. The failure to follow best practice guidelines and local and California regulations can cause dehydration, malnutrition, bedsores, bladder and bowel difficulties, medication mistakes, and other types of preventable harm.
According to the National Institute of Aging, hundreds of thousands of the elderly in the US suffer abuse or neglect every year.
What factors indicate a senior is being abused in San Francisco?
Our San Francisco elder abuse attorneys represent seniors who have been abused. We recommend that family, friends, and responsible caretakers look for the following signs of abuse:
Physical signs
- Dehydration and malnutrition
- Bladder and bowel difficulties
- Broken bones/Fractures
- Falls
- Deliberate medication mistakes
- Resident-on-resident abuse
- Bruises, cuts, burns, and other visible bodily injuries
- Clothes that don’t fit or match
- Uncleanliness
- Poor personal grooming
- Weight gain or loss
- Sleeping difficulties
- Physical pain
- Signs that physical or chemical restraints are being used
Emotional signs
- Being isolated from family, friends, and other residents
- Rocking back and forth
- Anxiousness, irritability, and depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- Confusion
- Unhappiness
- Signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Sexual abuse signs
- Any of the above signs
- Complaints about sexual parts
- Unusual interest in talks about sex
- Sexually transmitted diseases
Other signs of San Francisco elder abuse include:
- Signs your loved one fell
- The failure to honor any of your loved one’s rights
- Wandering and elopement
- Abandonment
How can I help a senior who is being abused in San Francisco?
Most seniors are too afraid to complain or in too much pain to complain. Seniors with cognitive impairments, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, likely won’t remember what happened. For these reasons, relatives and friends need to step forward and keep a close eye on the seniors they care for.
Some of the ways relatives and friends can help are:
- Regularly visiting their loved ones. Visiting at different times on different days helps you observe the different caretakers who are caring for your loved one. If you can’t visit, be sure to communicate by phone or email.
- Inspecting the long-term care facility, daycare facility, or the senior’s home. Inspecting means looking for the risks of falling and other dangers.
- Observing how each caretaker interacts with a San Franciso senior – and vice-versa.
- Observing how your relative or friend interacts with other seniors in the same facility or location.
- Asking to review the financial accounts of the senior if the senior can’t. You may need to ask to be granted the power of attorney to do so – or speak to the person who does have that power.
A good way to help is to contact the San Francisco Long-Term Care Ombudsman. This agency investigates complaints of elder abuse.
Caretakers, paid or unpaid, healthcare providers, and others are required to file reports of abuse with the San Francisco Human Services Agency.
The best way to help is to contact our experienced San Francisco elder care lawyers. We’re ready to help you and your loved one stop the abuse and assert their right to compensation today.
How do your San Francisco elder abuse attorneys hold abusers accountable?
At Garcia & Artigliere, our seasoned San Francisco elder abuse attorneys notify caretakers that they are in breach of their duty to protect your loved ones. We investigate how the abuse happened and why the nursing home, assisted living facility or other caretaker should be held responsible.
Our elder abuse lawyers work with the local ombudsman, elder care protective services, and law enforcement as well. We are skilled at showing whether any laws or regulations were broken and what standard practices should have been used to prevent the abuse. Our team works with your doctors and therapists (including psychologists) to understand the full scope of your or your loved one’s injuries.
We file personal injury actions on behalf of seniors and wrongful death actions on behalf of family members if a loved one dies. We demand compensation for the senior’s medical expenses, physical pain, emotional suffering, loss of quality of life, and loss of bodily function. If your loved one tragically died, we seek compensation for the family’s financial losses and personal losses.
Garcia & Artigliere has helped thousands of seniors and dependent adults in abuse and neglect actions across America. Our strong record of results includes:
- Acted as counsel in the largest Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act settlement in California history. The case was settled for more than $38.6 million.
- In the case of In Re Rechnitz Nursing Facilities. Garcia & Artigliere lawyers Stephen M. Garcia, Bill Artigliere and David M. Medby achieved a $12 million settlement after seven years of litigation. The case involved the largest provider of long term health care in Southern California. The basis of the lawsuit was that the provider was understaffed.
- Represented clients in numerous class action claims – resulting in more than $100 million in awards for afflicted elder and dependent adults
- Secured more than 50 $1 million-dollar and $1 million-dollar-plus results.
Do you have a San Francisco elder abuse lawyer near me?
Garcia & Artigliere represents San Francisco elder abuse victims, and clients across California. Nationwide, in 2022, we recovered $50 million for our clients. We advocate for seniors by explaining their rights and pursuing those rights with insurance companies and in the California courts.
Speak with the respected San Francisco elder abuse lawyers at Garcia & Artigliere today
At Garcia & Artigliere, our San Francisco elder abuse attorneys are respected by former clients (and their families and friends) and elder care lawyers for our complete dedication to our clients and our impressive record of insurance settlements, arbitration awards, and jury verdicts. To fight for your loved one and protect other seniors who may be being abused by the same caretaker, call or contact our offices now to schedule a free, confidential consultation.
We proudly serve San Francisco. We also represent clients across California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and Long Beach, and in Arizona, Kentucky, and Louisiana. There are no upfront costs. We handle elder abuse claims on a contingency fee basis.
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