Santa Monica Elder Abuse Attorney

Your first step should be to ensure your loved one’s safety. If you feel they are in immediate danger or need urgent medical attention, call 911. If the danger is not immediate but you suspect ongoing abuse or neglect, report it right away. In Santa Monica (Los Angeles County), you can report care facility abuse to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 1-800-334-9473 or call Adult Protective Services at 1-877-477-3646. Provide them with all relevant details: the facility name, room or floor, individuals involved, and what signs you’ve observed (injuries, weight loss, etc.). It’s also wise to document your concerns – take photos of any visible injuries or unsafe conditions, keep a journal of incidents or conversations, and collect records (like medical reports or bank statements if financial abuse is suspected). Next, contact an experienced elder abuse attorney like Ray Lewis. We will intervene immediately by coordinating with authorities, and if needed, we can help facilitate a transfer to a hospital or another facility for safety. We will also start the legal investigation process – obtaining facility records, interviewing witnesses (such as other residents or former staff), and preserving evidence. Early legal involvement means we can also advise on decisions like signing any facility documents or talking to insurance representatives. In summary: ensure safety, report to APS/Ombudsman, document evidence, and seek legal counsel. Acting promptly can prevent further harm and strengthen the case against the abusers.

California defines “elder” as anyone 65 or older, and elder abuse can be either criminal or civil (or both). Broadly, elder abuse includes physical abuse (hitting, shaking, excessive restraint, etc.), neglect (failing to provide care or protect from health/safety hazards), financial abuse (theft, embezzlement, fraud, misuse of an elder’s funds or property), abandonment (deserting an elder who can’t care for themselves), isolation (preventing the elder from having contact with others), abduction (taking the elder out of state against their will), or mental suffering (causing fear, confusion, or distress through verbal or other means). In practical terms for Santa Monica residents, this can range from a caregiver at home not bathing or feeding an elder (neglect), to a nursing aide roughly handling a patient or using unnecessary force (physical abuse), to a scammer convincing an older person to wire money (financial abuse), to a family member refusing to let Grandma speak to other relatives or leave the house (isolation/emotional abuse). If you’re not sure if something is “elder abuse,” consider: Is someone 65+ being harmed, taken advantage of, or put at serious risk by another person (or by an organization) who is supposed to care for them or who stands in a position of trust? If yes, it likely falls under elder abuse. When in doubt, consult with us or report it to authorities – it’s better to raise a false alarm than to miss a real problem. Our firm can analyze the situation and let you know what kind of elder abuse case it might be (and who the potential defendants are, e.g., an individual caregiver, a facility, etc.).

Yes, you should. An apology, while potentially meaningful emotionally, does not ensure accountability or compensation. Often, facilities apologize to show empathy or attempt to avoid conflict, but that doesn’t fix what happened. More importantly, without further investigation, you can’t be certain that your mom’s injury was truly an “accident” or part of a larger pattern of neglect. By involving an elder abuse attorney, you have someone who works for you – not the facility – to dig into the circumstances. We have seen many cases in which families were initially told an injury was a one-time accident, only to later discover it was due to chronic understaffing or a previously known hazard. As your lawyers, we would obtain maintenance logs, staffing records, prior incident reports, etc., to see if this was foreseeable or preventable. If the facility’s negligence played a role, an apology alone won’t cover medical bills or the pain your mom suffered – but a legal claim can. Additionally, contacting a lawyer doesn’t mean you’re committing to a lawsuit that minute. It means you’re getting informed about your rights. We often manage communications with the facility or their insurer on our clients’ behalf, to avoid situations where the family may be pressured into saying something or signing something that waives their rights. Remember, even if the facility “seems nice” or apologetic, their insurance company and lawyers are already working to minimize their liability. You deserve an advocate in your corner to ensure your mom’s interests – her health, her rights, and appropriate compensation – are fully protected.

It will cost you nothing upfront and nothing at all if we don’t win. Our elder abuse cases are taken on a contingency fee basis. This means we do not charge hourly fees or require retainers from you. We only get paid if we successfully obtain a settlement or verdict in your favor. Our fee is a percentage of that recovery, agreed upon at the start of the case. This arrangement makes it possible for anyone to afford a top-quality lawyer – you don’t pay out-of-pocket, period. Additionally, our firm advances all the necessary case expenses along the way (for example, court filing fees, expert witness fees for a geriatric specialist or forensic accountant, deposition costs, etc.). These litigation costs can add up, but we handle them. If we win the case, those costs are reimbursed from the defendant’s payout as well (we always provide a clear breakdown in the settlement paperwork). If for some reason the case does not result in a financial recovery, you owe nothing for fees or the costs we expended. We carry that risk. The bottom line is, money should never be a barrier to seeking justice for an abused senior. We also offer free initial consultations, so it won’t cost you anything to simply speak with us about your Santa Monica elder abuse situation and get our legal opinion. We are confident enough in our abilities and the righteousness of these cases that we’re willing to invest our time and resources with the expectation of winning, rather than charging families in crisis. So please, don’t hesitate to reach out due to financial worries – we’ve got that part handled.