Long Beach Drug Rehab Center Abuse Attorney
People struggling with drug addiction need serious support to defeat their demons. These individuals and their families often turn to drug rehab centers, desperate for professional help. Sometimes, the professional facilities are anything but. If your loved one was abused or harmed while at a drug rehab center, contact us. Our Long Beach drug rehab center abuse attorney will fight for justice and fair compensation.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities
These inpatient facilities, which often cost thousands of dollars, promise an array of benefits, including round-the-clock medical care, access to psychiatrists, emotional support, and freedom from “outside triggers.” But they do not always deliver.
Drug rehab centers in California have very little oversight. We have seen and spoken with the families of many patients who are able to get drugs, OD on-site, or escape the facility and commit suicide. How can this happen?
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If you suspect your loved one has been harmed by a residential treatment facility, please reach out to our Long Beach drug rehab center abuse lawyer for help. People struggling with substance addiction or psychiatric issues are exceptionally vulnerable, and rehab centers know that. Let attorney Travis Siegel fight on your behalf and demand the justice your loved one deserves.
Call Travis Siegel at 562-414-5294 to discuss your legal options in a free consultation. The Long Beach drug rehab center abuse attorney at Travis Siegel is dedicated to helping victims rebuild their lives.
Additional Information
If you think your elderly loved one has suffered neglect or abuse, do not wait to act. Whether the abuse occurred in a nursing home, residential care facility, or private home, our Orange County elder abuse attorneys will conduct the necessary investigations and gather the information needed to bring those responsible to justice.
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Types of Abuse in Rehab Centers
Anyone can become the victim of abuse or neglect, and it’s happening more and more at these loosely regulated drug rehab centers. Abuse can happen in any one or combination of the following ways:
- Physical abuse may consist of the use of physical restraints, violence, or other means of causing physical harm, even a refusal to allow access to restroom facilities.
- Sexual abuse may consist of inappropriate contact, in addition to forced or coerced sexual behaviors or acts.
- Prescription abuse may consist of failure to provide prescribed medications or refusal to seek prescriptions where needed. It may also include situations where the facility does not properly store or control the medications and patients have access to them. In addition, there may be the mislabeling, misidentification, or misdelivery of prescriptions to patients.
- Financial abuse occurs when a dependent patient makes significant financial sacrifices to caregivers because of an inappropriate relationship.
- Psychological abuse may consist of demeaning or threatening behavior on the part of the caregiver or the use of psychological controls over the patient.
Again, when a patient is dependent on his or her caregivers, failing to provide care can be just as devastating as abuse. Neglect can and does kill.
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Pressure sores, also called bed sores and pressure ulcers, are a common sign of nursing home abuse or neglect. They are caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin. Bed sores typically appear near areas where the bones are close to the skin: the hips, back, elbows, and ankles. When pressure sores first show up, they’re just skin irritation. With prompt treatment, they typically have no lasting effects. When not treated quickly, however, later stages can result in serious damage not only to the skin but also to muscle and bone.
The greatest tragedy of pressure sores is that they are relatively easy to prevent. Regular movement of a person restricted to a bed or wheelchair can help avoid pressure sores. Someone who must remain in bed should be moved about every two hours. The use of a pressure-reducing mattress can help. A proper diet, cleanliness, and daily exercise all help prevent pressure sores and eliminate the serious harm that can accompany them.
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The answer is no. Siegel Law takes all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that our clients owe the firm nothing for expenses unless they are awarded a monetary settlement or we receive a favorable verdict at trial. All expenses will be deducted from the settlement or jury verdict. Not a dime will be taken out of your pocket.
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If you suspect that abuse has occurred, know that you are not alone and do not have to suffer in silence. Trust yourself and follow your instincts. First of all, contact the California Department of Social Services, Adult Protective Services (APS). This is a government agency specifically charged with licensing, certifying, and overseeing nursing homes and similar facilities. They are in charge of investigating reports of abuse, so making a report to them is the best place to start.
Once you have contacted them, call us at Siegel Law. We have years of experience handling these kinds of cases and will sit down with you for free and help you understand your options going forward. It is easy to become overwhelmed in this situation, which is why our Orange County elder abuse lawyers offer guidance to those who need it.
California’s Lax Oversight of Rehab Centers
In California, our legislature has implemented protective measures for patients confined to a facility 24 hours a day. Known as the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, these statutes define the responsibilities of the care facility. “Dependent adults,” like substance abuse patients seeking treatment, have the right to be free from:
- Abuse, neglect, abandonment, isolation, abduction, or other behavior that causes physical harm, pain, or mental suffering; OR
- Deprivation by a caregiver of things or services that the dependent adult needs to avoid physical harm or mental suffering.
A lot of the time, they aren’t. How does California regulate these drug rehab centers? The California Department of Health Care Services has sole authority to license adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities. If a complaint is filed, the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Compliance Division is supposed to investigate. But many violations go unreported, and the damage spirals out of control.
