Long Beach Adult Day Care Abuse Attorney

What Are Adult Day Care Centers?

Adult daycare centers are facilities that provide care and supervision for elderly people, but only during certain parts of the day. Such centers are not appropriate for people in need of full-time care, or without family members who can spend at least some time taking care of them.

Many of these centers have a social focus to ensure that attendees continue to have full and enriched lives around other people. Social isolation is a major issue for the elderly, so these centers give them a chance to visit with others of the same generation, as well as younger staff members. These centers often include arts and crafts projects, supervised outings, and live entertainment. Some fitness programs may also be offered, though they are usually pretty minor (like yoga or swimming) rather than physical therapy.

What Are Adult Day Health Care Centers?

Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) centers are like standard adult daycares, except that they offer medical attention for attendees who need greater care and treatment. These facilities include registered nurses and therapists on staff.

Elderly loved ones who need regular physical therapy or medical treatment, in addition to exercise and socialization, are prime candidates for ADHC centers. Such centers may be more expensive since they keep licensed medical staff on hand, but they include more healthcare services than standard adult daycare centers. Doctors may also spend one or more days each week at these centers to provide additional care and checkups as needed.

There are also Alzheimer’s care centers that provide targeted and specific treatment for those with serious dementia and Alzheimer’s. These very specialized centers have staff members who are trained specifically to provide care and activities for people suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Common Types of Adult Day Care Abuse and Neglect

Elder abuse and neglect can come in many forms, including:

• Physical abuse: Hitting, pushing, pinching, etc. Be on the lookout for cuts and bruises that can’t be explained. Physical abuse can also be denying the patient water or food, or not keeping her warm enough.
• Medication abuse: Giving the wrong medication or wrong dose, withholding medication, or overmedicating. If your loved one seems overly tired or in a stupor, there may be a medication issue.
• Sexual abuse: Any kind of unwanted touching of the private areas or inappropriate language can be classified as sexual abuse.
• Verbal abuse: This can include yelling, taunting, threatening, belittling, mocking, or any form of verbal communication that doesn’t respect the patient’s dignity.
• Financial abuse: This can include stealing from a patient, using the patient’s debit or credit card, forcing or tricking the patient to write a check, etc.
• Lack of supervision: This can be not noticing that a patient is having a stroke or choking on food, allowing him to wander away from the facility, allowing another patient to harm him, or allowing him to hurt himself.