Neglect can be more subtle than the type of abuse described above, but may be more common and more devastating. Neglect is the failure to provide reasonably necessary care. Imagine leaving your child at a daycare and picking them up only to find out they spent all day in a crib? Or their diaper was not changed? Or they were allowed to play outside unsupervised and got injured? Or they became ill but you weren’t called? Unacceptable.

Such conduct is equally intolerable when it involves the care of our elderly loved ones. Yet with elders, they have illnesses and limitations and difficulties communicating, which makes it very difficult to know whether a sudden change in how mom or dad acts is the normal progression of their age or illness or something more.

Neglect takes many forms. By definition, neglect includes the failure to assist with hygiene, the failure to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, the failure to provide medical care and the failure to prevent malnutrition or dehydration, to name a few. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15610.57.

But these statutory definitions do not begin to describe the true nature of the abuse and neglect as it occurs in a health care or residential care setting. It is often difficult to know how the elder is feeling or what he or she is experiencing because of overall difficulty communicating, dementia, confusion, forgetfulness, depression, and other physical and mental ailments which effect the elderly. If the elderly person does not have close friends or family who visit regularly, the elder may be neglected for a prolonged period of time. This could result is serious health consequences, such as bedsores, urinary tract infections, renal failure, heart problems, and an overall decline in mood and behavior. Often times, the abuse or neglect so compromises the elder that he or she is not able to recover from the adverse health consequences and he or she passes away.

Common signs of neglect include:

Dehydration
Malnutrition
Sudden or Dramatic Weight Loss
Loss of Appetite
Pressure Sores/Bed Sores
Broken Bones
Falls
Change of Mood
Depression
Abrupt change in communication status (i.e. elder stops talking)

At the Law Offices of Jody C. Moore, APC, we are uniquely situated to gather the necessary medical facts to determine whether what happened to your loved one was part of a natural aging or medical process or caused by a lack of care. One of our attorneys, Denise Platt, RN, JD, is both a lawyer and a nurse, and brings her expertise to our case screening process. If you suspect that someone you love has been neglected, please call and we will listen to your concerns and provide information about your rights and your options.