Finding A Lawyer
Suing a nursing home is a challenging experience under
the best of circumstances. However, finding the right attorney to handle
your case can be even more challenging. Many attorneys will not look at
elder abuse cases. They assume incorrectly that because the client is
old and in poor health, damages will be limited and, therefore, the case
will not be worth the effort. Other attorneys may be experts in personal
injury or medical malpractice laws, but know little or nothing about the
Elder Abuse statutes. CANHR knows that only highly qualified and experienced
attorneys can successfully sue the attorneys that are defending the nursing
homes' interests.
When the right attorney is located and a case successfully
pursued, a nursing home or residential care facility can be held accountable
for the pain and suffering it may have caused. Abused residents and their
family members can find satisfaction in pursuing justice.
CANHR's Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) — 1-800-474-1116
The Lawyer Referral Service was specifically designed to
connect nursing home residents and their family members with qualified
attorneys. Certified by the California State Bar since 1985, the LRS has
established a special service to counsel individuals who believe that
they or a loved one have been the victim of elder abuse and they want
to pursue a case in civil court. CANHR's LRS can provide the name of an
elder neglect attorney from its statewide network of experienced, qualified
attorneys. Services are available on a contingency basis in response to
situations such as: Physical Abuse, Sexual Assault, Over-Drugging or Restraint
Abuse, Residents' Rights Violations, Neglect, Dehydration, Malnutrition,
Pressure Sores / Bed Sores, Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death.
The material in this web page deals primarily with abuse
as it occurs in institutional settings such as nursing homes and residential
care facilities for the elderly. The material, however, is also relevant
for abuse that occurs in community settings like homes, apartments, and
living arrangements with families.
More information on preventing elder abuse is available from the California Attorney General's office at SafeState.
For complaints about insurance agents, brokers, or attorneys who are involved with the sale of annuities, visit
the California Department of Insurance.
Find Key Resources
CANHR's Lawyer Referral Service (LRS): (800) 474-1116 or www.canhr.org/LRS/index.html
California State Bar Association: (800) 843-9053 or www.calbar.ca.gov
County District Attorney's Office: Contact California District Attorneys Association at (916) 443-2017 or www.cdaa.org.
Department of Health Services, Licensing and Certification*: www.dhs.ca.gov/LNC/.
Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing*: http://ccld.ca.gov/.
County Adult Protective Services*: California Department of Social Services Web site at http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG79.htm.
Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP): (800) 434-0222 or www.cahealthadvocates.org.
Key Legal Resources: The web site of the Attorney General contains key resources on elder abuse at http://caag.state.ca.us. Access California law at www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html.
(Elder Abuse & Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act — Welfare & Institutions Code, Sections 15600 and following; Mandated Reporters Law — W&I Section 15630; Penal Code 368.)
Long Term Care Ombudsman: (800) 231-4024 or at www.aging.ca.gov/programs/ombudsman.asp.
Medicare Fraud: (800) 447-8477 or www.medicare.gov/FraudAbuse/Overview.asp or California Senior Medicare Patrol at (714) 560-0309 or www.cahealthadvocates.org/fraud/index.html.
National Center on Elder Abuse: (800) 677-1116 or www.ncea.aoa.gov has background information on elder abuse issues, studies, and resources.
Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse: (800) 722-0432 or http://caag.state.ca.us/bmfea/index.htm.
State Insurance Commissioner's Office: (800) 927-4357 or www.insurance.ca.gov.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) at www.gao.gov has reports and studies on nursing homes.
*Contact CANHR for the telephone numbers of individual county offices.
