Lawyer in California

 Nursing home abuse   has been a topic of much discussion throughout the United States for several decades, but California is by far home to some of the most serious cases. The cities of San Diego and Los Angeles are particularly prone to nursing home abuse, although the problem is becoming more serious throughout the state every single year. If you suspect or are sure that your loved one has been   abused or neglected   in a nursing home in Los Angeles or San Diego, you should contact a personal injury lawyer immediately. Both neglect and abuse can result in the lasting physical and emotional wounds of your loved one, potentially requiring months or even years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to completely recover, if recovery is even possible. There are different types of abuse one may be subject to endure while living in an ethically questionable nursing home. The first, and perhaps most common type of abuse evident in these types of environments, is  neglect. Neglect  is an ind

  CLOSING LOOPHOLES: The 2010 Legislature has taken a giant step toward protecting Florida's most vulnerable residents. Recently, the state House passed legislation that will close loopholes in the background-screening process for those seeking jobs with children, seniors and the disabled. Among other things, House Bill 7069 would require that no one can begin work with vulnerable residents until a background screening is complete and the applicant is found to be qualified. A 2009 report by the Sun-Sentinel, "Trust Betrayed," found that more than 8,700 ex-felons were approved by state officials to work with children, the elderly and the disabled over two decades. Included in this group are career criminals who have committed rape and murder, and crimes against children. Florida has been delinquent in protecting its most vulnerable. HB 7069, sponsored by Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, would close loopholes in the current system and create safer environments for those in th

  Oklahoma ranks in the top five worst states for pressure ulcers prevention. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimate 7 percent of the state's nursing home residents developed bed sores from 2007 to 2008. During the same time period, the state had the third-highest ranking for pressure ulcers in the country. According to statehealthfacts.org,a Web site maintained by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2008 there were more than 300 certified nursing homes in the state with about 20,000 residents. Treatment is costly, and they are painful and emotionally distressing to have California elder abuse and neglect attorney Steven C. Peck indicates. "If we want to truly care for a patient, then everyone involved needs to step up and address this," Peck says. Known commonly as bed sores, pressure ulcers are areas on the skin where circulation and blood flow are cut off because of continued pressure. They often occur near the pelvis and around bony parts of the

  Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced on March 22, 2010, that California Department of Justice agents arrested a former nursing home administrator, Concepcion "Connie" Pinco Giron, 51, of San Pablo, who "callously stole" more than $50,000 from six of her elderly patients, one of whom she kidnapped and held for nearly a year in order to take her pension and social security checks. Giron faces one count each of kidnapping to commit another crime, false imprisonment and elder abuse, and six counts of theft from elder or dependent adults by a caretaker. If convicted, Giron faces up to 12 years in prison. Giron is being held at Alameda County Jail, and bail has been set at $365,000. "Giron callously stole thousands of dollars from elderly and sick people, even going so far as to kidnap an elderly woman with Alzheimer's and steal the woman's social security checks," Brown said. "This is a shocking case of nursing home abuse and a gross vi

  State authorities said Friday they are reviewing laws and policies to strengthen the disciplinary sanctions taken against nursing home administrators in cases of wrongdoing and patient harm. Despite continued serious violence against nursing home residents, administrators are rarely punished by the Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, or IDFPR, which licenses the administrators and other professional staff, according to a Tribune examination of government records as well as interviews with elder advocates. Department officials have been discussing possible reforms with Gov. Pat Quinn's Nursing Home Safety Task Force, which was formed in response to Tribune reports about recent allegations of rape, assault and murder inside the facilities. Not a single nursing home administrator has had his or her license revoked since January 2005, despite repeated violations found by Health Department investigators and despite a series of violent incidents in homes that accept

  ACE (Advocates for Conserved Elders) Volunteer Recruitment - The next two-day training is Saturday, January 30, and Saturday, February 6, 2010 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The training is free, breakfast snacks and lunch are served, and attorneys receive 13 hours of MCLE credit. For a more detailed ACE volunteer position description and an application, please contact Laraine Mestman at 310.394.9871 ext. 445 or at Lmestman@wiseandhealthyaging.org. "ACE Volunteers help serve as an extra pair of "eyes and ears" for the court in its effort to reduce isolation, loneliness and elder abuse among nearly 9,200 conserved elders in Los Angeles County." Last year, Jane completed her requirements to become an ACE Volunteer. She was assigned to Charlotte, a victim of elder financial abuse. Her conservator is the Public Guardian. When Jane first met Charlotte, she was introduced to a wheel-chair bound elder, who had no friends to visit her. She said, "Thank G_ I have someone to tal

 Low nurse staffing levels are considered the strongest predictor of poor nursing home quality leading to abuse and neglect says California Elder Abuse Attorney Steven Peck. The 10 largest for-profit chains operate about 2,000 nursing homes in the United States, controlling approximately 13 percent of the country's nursing home beds. In recent decades, nursing home chains have undergone a considerable expansion. A number of chains were publicly-traded companies until the early 2000s, when five of the country's largest chains went bankrupt. Following restructuring and ownership changes, as well as increases in Medicare payments, the largest chains became more financially stable. Property damage litigation lawyer . More recently, some of the largest publicly held chains were purchased by private equity investment firms, which invest funds received from investors, with whom they share profits and losses. The researchers compared staffing levels and facility deficiencies at the

 Mrs. W is an 80-year-old woman who was recently discharged from the hospital after treatment of a severe infection in her leg that took a very long time to heal. Her hospitalization was also complicated by facility-acquired Clostridium difficile infection. Because she was still frail, Mrs. W stayed with her daughter following discharge. One morning, her daughter found Mrs. W lying on the bathroom floor awake but nonresponsive and unable to move. Paramedics took Mrs. W to the emergency department of the nearest hospital, where it was determined that she had had a stroke. Mrs. W was admitted to the intensive care unit. Global tax fraud lawyer . On admission, nurses documented a bruise on her right trochanter that was assumed to have been caused by the fall .  Eventually this bruise opened up into a full-thickness pressure ulcer. Noting that Mrs. W was at high risk for a pressure ulcer, bed sores, and decubitus ulcers prevention interventions and skin protection were instituted immediat

  Mrs. W is an 80-year-old woman who was recently discharged from the hospital after treatment of a severe infection in her leg that took a very long time to heal. Her hospitalization was also complicated by facility-acquired Clostridium difficile infection. Because she was still frail, Mrs. W stayed with her daughter following discharge. One morning, her daughter found Mrs. W lying on the bathroom floor awake but nonresponsive and unable to move. Paramedics took Mrs. W to the emergency department of the nearest hospital, where it was determined that she had had a stroke. Mrs. W was admitted to the intensive care unit. Property damage litigation . On admission, nurses documented a bruise on her right trochanter that was assumed to have been caused by the fall . Eventually this bruise opened up into a full-thickness pressure ulcer. Noting that Mrs. W was at high risk for a pressure ulcer, bed sores, and decubitus ulcers prevention interventions and skin protection were instituted immed

  A Yucaipa-based nursing home is named with three people in a criminal complaint filed by the California Attorney General's Office alleging elder abuse. Braswell's Hampton Manor, Barbara Davis, 44, and Timothy Walker, 56, entered pleas of not guilty at an arraignment on December 22, 2011 in San Bernardino Superior Court. Property damage litigation . The nursing home, Davis, Walker and a third person, Amy Nicole Hillrich, are each charged with one felony count of elder abuse causing great bodily injury occurring on Aug. 6, according to court records. The case was filed Dec. 16. Hillrich, 38, was scheduled for video arraignment Thursday afternoon, according to court personnel. But it was not known if she had been arraigned. Davis and Walker were released on their own recognizance. They return to court March 12. In a separate case, Hillrich and David Olvera, 25, and Emilio Pelayo Saldana, 22, face murder charges in the death of Hillrich's ex-husband, John Hillrich, of Fo

  Medical professionals have been debating the exact definition of sepsis for decades. However, one thing they can agree upon is the origin of the disease. The word sepsis comes from the Greek meaning "decay" or "to putrefy." In medical terms, sepsis is defined as either "the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in the blood and tissues" or "the poisoned condition resulting from the presence of pathogens or their toxins as in septicemia." Patients are given a diagnosis of sepsis when they develop clinical signs of infections or systemic inflammation; sepsis is not diagnosed based on the location of the infection or by the name of the causative microbe. Global tax fraud lawyer in Los Angeles . Physicians draw from a list of signs and symptoms in order to make a diagnosis of sepsis, including abnormalities of body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and white blood cell count. Sepsis may be diagnosed in a 72-year-old man with pn

  Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are a common infection that affect more women then men. Most often, they are treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics, the infection becoming a distant memory. Unfortunately, not all UTIs are treated quickly and some aren't even identified quickly, particularly in people who have limited no sensation below the waist or unable to speak for themselves. An untreated UTI may spread to the kidney, causing more pain and illness. It can also cause sepsis. The term urosepsis is usually used to describe sepsis caused by a UTI. Sometimes called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body's often deadly response to infection or injury. Sepsis kills and disables millions and requires early suspicion and rapid treatment for survival. People shouldn't die from a UTI, but if sepsis begins to take over and develops to severe sepsis and then to septic shock, this is exactly what can happen. Lawyer office in LA . More than half the cases of urosepsis a

  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA is staph infection that has become immune to many types of antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacteria that lives on our skin and, most of the time, causes no ill effects. Lawyer firm in California . The problems begin to happen if there is a break in the skin - through a cut, a puncture, or some other opening - that allows the staph to enter into the body. Unchecked MRSA may develop into sepsis. Sometimes called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body's often deadly response to infection or injury. Sepsis kills and disables millions and requires early suspicion and rapid treatment for survival. Worldwide, one-third of patients who develop sepsis die. Almost 20% of patients who develop sepsis after surgery die. Many who do survive are left with organ dysfunction and/or amputations. (What is the prognosis (outcome) with sepsis?) There are two types of MRSA infections: community acquired (CA) and hospital acquired (HA).

 Mrs. W is an 80-year-old woman who was recently discharged from the hospital after treatment of a severe infection in her leg that took a very long time to heal. Her hospitalization was also complicated by facility-acquired Clostridium difficile infection. Because she was still frail, Mrs. W stayed with her daughter following discharge. One morning, her daughter found Mrs. W lying on the bathroom floor awake but nonresponsive and unable to move. Lawyer firm in California . Paramedics took Mrs. W to the emergency department of the nearest hospital, where it was determined that she had had a stroke. Mrs. W was admitted to the intensive care unit. On admission, nurses documented a bruise on her right trochanter that was assumed to have been caused by the fall . Eventually this bruise opened up into a full-thickness pressure ulcer. Noting that Mrs. W was at high risk for a pressure ulcer, bed sores, and decubitus ulcers prevention interventions and skin protection were instituted immedia

  Scabies is a condition of very itchy skin caused by tiny mites that burrow into your skin. Scabies can affect people of all ages and from all incomes and social levels. Even people who keep themselves very clean can get scabies. How is scabies spread? Scabies mites spread by close contact with someone who has scabies. Scabies can also be spread by sharing towels, bed sheets, and other personal belongings. Lawyer office in California . Scabies often affects several family members at the same time. You can spread it to another person before you have symptoms. What are the symptoms? Scabies causes severe itching that is usually worse at night and a rash with tiny blisters or sores. Small children and older adults tend to have the worst itching. Children typically have worse skin reactions. If this is the first time you have had scabies, it may be several weeks before you have itching and skin sores. But if you have had it before, symptoms will probably start in a few days. How is sc

  Medical professionals have been debating the exact definition of sepsis for decades. However, one thing they can agree upon is the origin of the disease. The word sepsis comes from the Greek meaning "decay" or "to putrefy." Lawyer office in California . In medical terms, sepsis is defined as either "the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in the blood and tissues" or "the poisoned condition resulting from the presence of pathogens or their toxins as in septicemia." Patients are given a diagnosis of sepsis when they develop clinical signs of infections or systemic inflammation; sepsis is not diagnosed based on the location of the infection or by the name of the causative microbe. Physicians draw from a list of signs and symptoms in order to make a diagnosis of sepsis, including abnormalities of body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and white blood cell count. Sepsis may be diagnosed in a 72-year-old man with pneumonia, fe

  Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are a common infection that affect more women then men. Most often, they are treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics, the infection becoming a distant memory. Unfortunately, not all UTIs are treated quickly and some aren't even identified quickly, particularly in people who have limited no sensation below the waist or unable to speak for themselves. An untreated UTI may spread to the kidney, causing more pain and illness. It can also cause sepsis. The term urosepsis is usually used to describe sepsis caused by a UTI. Sometimes called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body's often deadly response to infection or injury. Sepsis kills and disables millions and requires early suspicion and rapid treatment for survival. People shouldn't die from a UTI, but if sepsis begins to take over and develops to severe sepsis and then to septic shock, this is exactly what can happen. Lawyer office in California . More than half the cases of uro

 In real life, sepsis begins as a bacterial infection at a single source, an open wound such as a fourth degree bed sore, pressure sore or decubitus ulcer. Urinary tract infections that remain untreated could lead to Sepsis and Septic shock causing the death of the infected individual. which, if uncontrolled, spread to become a systemic attack on the body's kidneys, liver, lungs and central nervous system. It presents as simple sepsis, then moves to severe sepsis and, finally, to septic shock. It can run its entire course within hours. Lawyer firm in California . While the condition can be treated successfully, it can present grave challenges. Unless it's stopped at its earliest stage, sepsis can claim one life in every two it invades. More than 200,000 Americans died last year of sepsis. Sepsis care in the last year amounted to $2 billion in the United States. Complicating its diagnosis are accompanying chronic conditions that can make a patient more vulnerable to sepsis but