Nursing Home Abuse

Is Heiress Hugette Clark a Victim of Financial Elder Abuse?

Dianne Liu — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:28:04 +0000

From the wires comes a bizarre and possibly tragic story of wealth, isolation, and allegations of financial elder abuse around reclusive 104-year-old copper heiress Hugette Clark, who has not been seen in public since the 1950s.

A series of reports on Msnbc.com detail the strange life and isolation of Clark, whose wealth is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions. She owns two mansions, one of which she has never lived in, and a 15,000 square foot co-op in New York City that appears to be empty. Clark has been living in an undisclosed care facility for over 20 years. Clark disappeared into isolation in the 1950s – only a handful of people have seen her since.

The reports detail how Clark’s attorney Wallace “Wally” Bock and accountant Irving H. Kamsler once became the owners of a New York City apartment of another elderly client, and how some of Clark’s valuable possessions, including a Stradivarius violin and Renoir painting were quietly sold off for $6 million and $23.5 million respectively.

The reports set off a firestorm of reader responses and prompted New York City officials to begin regular welfare checks on Clark.

The story illustrates how elder abuse in any form can touch the lives of elders, no matter what their financial situation happens to be. An elder abuse lawyer can help you recognize the warning signs of abuse and neglect, and seek the justice and compensation that your loved one deserves.

NPR Covers Elder Telecare – A New Alternative to Nursing Home Care

Dianne Liu — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:27:52 +0000

With nursing home abuse and costs on the rise, many people are seeking alternatives to traditional nursing home care for their elder family members and loved ones. Elder telecare is a new option that appears to be working well for many families, despite the seemingly invasive nature of the situation. In homes wired for telecare, elders are never really alone. They are monitored remotely around the clock by caregivers who make sure they are safe and happy. With the ability to monitor every room in the house with motion-controlled cameras and even zoom in for a closer look, caregivers are never absent from the home.

If a loved one is developing dementia or Alzheimers, caregivers can make sure they are taking their medications and cooking their food properly. If anything is awry – the elder has fallen or is in the bathroom too long – the caregiver can call the family or an emergency service immediately. And communication with caregivers is two-way, which means that elders always have someone to chat with – a true boon for lonely elders. Elder telecare is also an affordable alternative to nursing homes with services running for less than $1,000 per month. Read the story from NPR here.

If you are concerned about the quality of a loved one’s care, or suspect nursing home abuse, help is always available. Get in contact with a nursing home abuse attorney to discuss your legal options and possibly get the financial compensation your elder needs and deserves.

A Case of Neglect

Dianne Liu — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:23:53 +0000

Barbara Salerno and her family thought their decision to send their 80-year-old father, Albert Salerno, to a nursing home would mean he would be safe and cared for—but they were wrong. Barbara tells the story of how her family was helpless in saving their father even though they visited him nearly every day. Nursing home staff minimized and explained away a sharp downturn in Mr. Salerno’s condition. By the time he finally received medical attention, Mr. Salerno was in acute renal failure, had advanced pneumonia and was malnourished. He died a few days later.

Related podcasts:

A Call for Reform | A Litigator’s Role | Medicaid’s Shortfall

A Call for Reform

Dianne Liu — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:49:12 +0000

Janet Wells is a national advocate who has been working for a generation to improve the quality of care in nursing homes and to get the government and industry to become more accountable for keeping nursing home residents safe. Wells, who is with The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, explains why nursing home abuse and neglect are still a major problem and what Congress should do to improve nursing home care.

Related podcasts:

A Case of Neglect | A Litigator’s Role | Medicaid’s Shortfall

A Litigator’s Role

Dianne Liu — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:54:45 +0000

Jim Sokolove has been representing victims of nursing home abuse for more than 20 years. Sokolove and his co-counsel firms have collected more than $25 million for families of victims of nursing home abuse nationwide. He outlines the four main types of abuse in these facilities, pinpoints when legal action can be taken, and offers keys to evaluating a nursing home.

Related podcasts:

A Case of Neglect | A Call for Reform | Medicaid’s Shortfall

Medicaid’s Shortfall

Dianne Liu — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:01:48 +0000

Nursing homes get two-thirds of their income from state and federal sources. Scott Plumb has spent more than two decades negotiating with Massachusetts policymakers to try to get the state’s nursing homes a fair deal. Plumb explains why relying on public resources creates a challenge for these facilities to staff appropriately and provide the safest care.

Related podcasts:

A Case of Neglect | A Call for Reform |A Litigator’s Role

Nursing Home Abuse Has Even Reached YouTube

Jay Magilligan — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:46:38 +0000

Nursing Home Abuse is a big issue; one that will only grow in importance as the population ages. We’ve published statistics on this site outlining the problem, but just a look at YouTube provides additional anecdotal evidence: 997 search results for “nursing home abuse” as of this writing.

Thankfully, the videos aren’t that graphic. However, it may take horrific visuals to generate the level of outrage needed to stop this problem. Hopefully everyone, whether they have a personal connection or not, feels inspired to do their part to stop or raise awareness about the issue of nursing home abuse.

If you have a specific situation you need help with, complete the form on this page and we’ll help you understand your legal options.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Jay Magilligan — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:13:41 +0000

While many were wearing the colors of their favorite World Cup soccer-playing nations last week, it was also a time to wear purple. Purple is the color of elder abuse awareness and last Tuesday the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) observed the 5th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The day supports the UN’s position that elder abuse is not only a health issue, but also one of human rights.

Fortunately, elders in nursing homes and other facilities, such as assisted living homes, in the United States have guaranteed rights. The Nursing Home Reform Act provides specific protections to residents/patients and their families. Our Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center outlines one of the primary features of the law: the Residents’ Bill of Rights.

If you think your rights, or the rights of someone you love, may have been violated (see also the Warning Signs of Abuse), consider contacting us for a consultation. We can help you seek appropriate justice and compensation for nursing home abuse.

Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center Re-launched

Jay Magilligan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:22:06 +0000

We are pleased to introduce our redesigned Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center. It’s a site that helps you recognize, prevent, deal with, and stop abuse and neglect of loved ones in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and elder care facilities. It’s a growing problem that no family should have to face, and we want to help you understand your rights.

As a part of our re-launch, we’ve added this blog. We’ll be providing useful resources on how to recognize the signs of abuse as well as what to do as you take the next steps in keeping your family member safe. Additionally, we’ll be posting an investigative podcast series, in coming weeks, designed to explain how we can help you navigate legal issues resulting from nursing home abuse or neglect.

We invite you to bookmark this site and subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed. If someone you love has experienced nursing home abuse or neglect, complete the consultation request form on this page, and we’ll help you understand your legal options.