Elder Abuse Attorney

00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:04.720 Often when people come to us is that a parent will stop eating, 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:10.040 a parent will stop smiling, they'll stop socializing, and at that point, 00:00:10.520 --> 00:00:14.600 it's really evident to the individual that that parent has 00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:16.520 suffered some sort of trauma. 00:00:20.080 --> 00:00:25.760 Abuse in assisted living and nursing homes takes several different forms. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:28.880 There can be financial harm that has happened, 00:00:29.200 --> 00:00:32.800 there can be physical harm that has happened, and sadly, 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:37.720 sexual abuse is something that we see a lot in assisted living 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:39.280 and nursing home cases. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:45.400 Institutions are paid facilities, and they're paid to protect the adult that 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:49.280 is within their living facility, which means they owe a duty. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:53.560 They owe a duty to the individual who is staying there to make 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:58.040 sure that they're safe, to make sure that they are being fed, 00:00:58.120 --> 00:01:00.520 to make sure that they feel secure. 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:02.720 That's who we look for accountability. 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.320 We want to know the individual or the corporation that's 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:10.040 taking in the money, what are they doing to make sure that that 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:13.120 adult is safe within that institution? 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:17.680 We've had people come in with cameras inside stuffed animals, 00:01:17.720 --> 00:01:21.520 we've had people come in with cameras that are embedded within clocks 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:26.840 and clock radios, and they set them up because they just don't feel good inside. 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:32.200 Sadly, on more than one occasion, we've had people come in with visual 00:01:32.440 --> 00:01:37.880 evidence of elderly, vulnerable adults being physically abused 00:01:38.080 --> 00:01:42.280 and being sexually abused in the nursing care facility. 00:01:42.880 --> 00:01:48.320 A case that involves nursing home or assisted living abuse is oftentimes very 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:50.080 document-intensive. 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:53.360 We want to make sure that we have a full picture of the individual. 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.320 We're going to look at previous lawsuits, we're going to look at other 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.880 administrative actions that may have happened from the Department of Licensing, 00:02:01.960 --> 00:02:05.200 from the Department of Health, but we're really going to get to the 00:02:05.360 --> 00:02:10.495 bottom of where has this facility, if they've gone wrong before, 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.400 we want to know where, we want to know how, 00:02:13.480 --> 00:02:16.280 and then we want to see if it's a problem that's being repeated. 00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:20.080 Just because you're in a care facility does not mean 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:21.680 that you give up your rights. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:26.240 In fact, Washington State acknowledges that a lot of the rights you 00:02:26.440 --> 00:02:29.440 have are enhanced once you're in someone else's care. 00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:35.120 If you suspect that someone you love is being abused in a nursing care or 00:02:35.600 --> 00:02:39.280 assisted living facility, it's really important to follow up 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:41.440 on those suspicions.