October 20, 2021
Celebrating Residents’ Rights Month
October is Residents’ Rights Month, and we at Gharibian Law are excited to celebrate and raise awareness. We’ve talked about some of the steps being taken to improve the lives of nursing home residents, but there are still improvements to be made, so we’d like to encourage all residents to speak up and caregivers and loved ones to take action.
Know Your Rights
Knowing your rights as a nursing home or care facility resident is incredibly important. Knowing how you should be treated will help determine if your care facility is in violation of any laws or standards of living.
Among others, some of your rights as a nursing home resident are:
- The right to privacy
- The right to information about your community
- The right to visits from family and friends
- The right to attend and take part in religious and community activities
- The right to protection from descrimination
Check out The Consumer Voice page on residents’ rights here, and The Administration of Community Living resources here.
Speak Up
Abuse and neglect can go unnoticed by loved ones, but if you believe you’ve been the victim of abuse, speak up. If you are an employee of a care facility, don’t let abuse and neglect go unchecked, speak up. And if you are a loved one of someone in a nursing home or care facility, know that you have the voice and power to protect your loved one. So don’t be scared to speak up!
Take Action
As always, we encourage anyone who witnesses, knows of, or has been the victim of abuse or neglect to report all incidents to the authorities and get in touch with a lawyer. Having the best legal defense on your side is essential, so be sure to contact Gharibian Law (866-642-5915) to get world-class representation from a team that cares and fights hard for your rights.
October 6, 2021
5 Ways You Can Advocate for Your Loved One
It’s easy to feel helpless and stressed in the face of life’s changes, especially when you are responsible for the welfare of a family member who cannot speak or advocate for themselves. To help you take action, we’ve collected 5 ways you, as a caregiver, can advocate on behalf of your loved one, and ensure they are getting the fair treatment and care they deserve.
1. Contact an Aging Life Care Specialist
The Aging Life Care Association will help you find a specialist who can walk you through everything from home care to insurance, to crisis intervention and conservatorship.
2. Become an Essential Caregiver
We’ve talked about this legislation before, but it is important enough to mention again. Essential Caregivers are allowed inside care facilities to take care of and visit loved ones during the Covid-19 Pandemic. You can read more about the Essential Caregivers Act here. This is one of the best ways to ensure your loved one receives regular visitors and gets the care they need at their senior living facility.
3. Get In Touch with Your Local Ombudsman.
A long-term care ombudsman is responsible for advocating for the rights of those living in care facilities. If you have questions, or need someone to take charge of a situation, the ombudsman can help you get the help and information you need. Care facilities are required to have the phone number of your local ombudsman displayed prominently. Wise and Healthy Aging provides more information about ombudsmen and their role in elderly care and rights.
4. Contact Your Congressman
Occasionally there are laws and acts proposed in Congress that improve assisted care facility policies and provide more funds and grants dedicated to taking care of elders across the country. We recently posted about one of these proposed laws, and encourage you to contact your congressman to implore them to take action on these policies. It is one of the best ways to utilize the law to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves.
5. Call Gharibian Law.
When a situation has gone far enough and you know your loved one has been taken advantage of or abused, call Gharibian Law (866-642-5915). While a lawsuit might seem daunting, we are here to guide you through the process and give you the best legal representation possible.
September 30, 2021
5 Resources for California Senior Citizens
If you are a senior citizen, or if you’re caring for a senior citizen, then you know how overwhelming it is to sort through all of the resources available to you and make sure you are receiving the best information.
Here are five great resources available to anyone making an informed decision regarding the rights, benefits, and safety of themselves or a family member.
1. City of Los Angeles Department of Aging
The City of Los Angeles Department of Aging has tons of resources that cover almost any area of living, education, health, and finance relevant to senior citizens. They offer counseling services for Medicare, information regarding memory problems, housing options, and more.
2. California Department of Social Services
Similar to the Department of Aging, the Department of Social Services has a long list of resources that can help you and your loved one decide what best serves them. Just a few of the services you can learn about are In Home Supportive Services, retirement living and continuing care, and the rights provided by Adult Protective Services.
3. Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has two key resources we wanted to share: the Check Before You Invest worksheet, and the info sheet on Financial Elder Abuse. Elders are often targeted for financial scams, so knowing your rights and the common ways scammers take advantage is critical to protecting yourself and your loved ones.
4. AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps and their volunteer programs provide companion services to elderly residents across the country. Their services are a great way to make sure there is someone there to help your loved one when you can’t be there. They do everything from dropping off groceries to spending an afternoon as a friend.
5. Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast
This podcast is a great way to continue your education regarding your own care as you age, or that of a loved one. In some of their episodes, the hosts consult professionals and advocates on topics like The Care of Individuals with Dementia, Understanding Person-Centered Care, and more!
And, of course, if you or your loved one experiences abuse, we at Gharibian Law will fight for you. Don’t hesitate to contact us by phone (866-958-4052) or email (info@gharibianlaw.com) to learn more about our services.
November 11, 2020
Los Angeles County General Inspector Releases First Report on Nursing Home Investigation
For most people, the health debacle that has occurred in Los Angeles County’s skilled nursing facilities since the COVID-19 pandemic started is a dangerous combination of calamities that includes a slow response, lax oversight, and profits supplanting quality care. And when it comes to pointing out culprits, we need to start with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH), the responsible agency for monitoring these facilities. (more…)
September 2, 2020
Elder Abuse Is On The Rise in the U.S.
As the elderly population increases, elder abuse rates are also rising without equally increased awareness. The number of Americans 65 and over is expected to nearly double by 2030 because of the 74 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, and the number of people 85 and over is escalating at an even faster rate.
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August 5, 2020
2020 Elder Abuse Awareness Month under Pandemic’s Shadow
The UN General Assembly designated June as the month to raise awareness for Elder Abuse worldwide. According to WHO estimates, 1 in 6 people aged over 60 suffers from abuse, which means nearly 141 million people globally. And this number might be much higher as Elder Abuse is one of the most hidden and underreported violations of the law.
July 29, 2020
Gharibian Law Files Lawsuit Against La Quinta Care Home Where a Veteran was Murdered
Creator: News Channel 3 | Credit: News Channel 3 | Copyright: Youtube
Gharibian Law is currently representing Ronald Clarke, a Korean War veteran, and his family in an Elder Abuse lawsuit against Sunbrook Residential Care, an elderly assisted living facility located in La Quinta, California, where a Korean War veteran was brutally murdered last November.
July 22, 2020
Frequent Misconceptions about Elder Abuse in San Diego County
Frequent Misconceptions about Elder Abuse
San Diego County process around 9,000 cases of Elder Abuse each year. But many other incidents go unreported, leaving vulnerable adults in distressing, potentially life-changing, even dangerous, situations. If you have an elderly loved one residing in San Diego County, it is imperative to know the facts about Eldercare and Elder Abuse in California.
April 29, 2020
Nursing Home Industry Seeking Blanket Immunity for the Duration of the Pandemic
Rampant COVID-19 cases at nursing homes all over the state have put a special attention on the way these facilities are being managed, and people are questioning if everything was done to adequately protect residents.
June 3, 2020
How Elder Neglect Differs from Abuse
Every year, 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ experiences some form of Elder Abuse or Neglect, moreover, it is likely that the statistic is understated, as only 1 in 14 cases of Elder Abuse and Neglect is reported. And although this has been a not widely spoken subject for years, most people nowadays have heard mentions to Elder Abuse and Neglect, but they may not always comprehend the difference between the two.
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