Los Angeles Elder Abuse Attorney

Facts About Elder Abuse

The United States Census Bureau projects that California's elder population will almost double in the next twenty years. Many of these people will be placed in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or will spend time in other senior care centers. The U.S. Congress Committee on Government Reform reported in 1999 that of the 439 nursing homes in Los Angeles County, only one was in complete compliance with federal standards of care. 

In 2000, this same Committee reported that only 18 of the 288 nursing homes in the San Francisco Bay area were in total compliance with federal standards of care. Because of statistics like these, the California Attorney General doubled the size of the Justice Department's elder abuse prosecution program in 1999. Elder abuse consists of crimes committed by individuals against elders, such as assault and battery, false imprisonment, rape, and even homicide. It also includes institutional neglect and substandard care like improper medical care, failure to provide medical care, or failure to provide proper hygiene in an elder care facility.

Elder Abuse As Financial Abuse

Elder abuse can also come in the form of financial abuse perpetrated on the elderly by family members or others whom the elderly depend on. Examples of financial abuse are misappropriation of an elder's income or assets, the improper or fraudulent use of a Power of Attorney, gaining property by coercing an elderly person to sign over investments or real estate, overcharging the elderly for rents, services or work done, and other similar abuses. 

If you have an elderly family member who has suffered abuse in a nursing home or elder care facility or from any other person in his or her environment, you may need legal assistance in handling this situation. Our  Los Angeles elder abuse lawyers at the Law Offices of David A. Shapiro are ready to serve you with their knowledge and skill in this important area of California law.

If you need help in an elder abuse case, contact a Los Angeles Elder Abuse Lawyer at the Law Offices of David A. Shapiro, a Professional Corporation, for a free consultation.