SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Our San Diego elder negligence attorneys have learned that the California Congress of Seniors has recognized Assembly member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) as a “2009 True Friend of Seniors.” Each year, the Congress honors legislators who have made outstanding efforts to improve wellbeing of seniors. The association is recognizing Feuer for authoring Assembly Bill 392, legislation that immediately restored $1.6 million for local Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs over the next year. The bill ensures that California’s vulnerable and elderly residents of nursing care and assisted living will be protected from abuse and neglect from their caregivers. The bill was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger on August 6.
Without the scrutiny of the Ombudsman programs, nursing home facilities are reviewed just once a year (or less) by government agency inspectors. The passage of AB 392 is especially important for residents’ quality of life and quality of care because no other state or federal program duplicates this type of critical advocacy service.
Our California elder negligence lawyers commend Feuer, who has fought for the rights of California’s seniors throughout his public service career. During his tenure as Executive Director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, the House of Justice, the institution provided free legal representation to more than 50,000 primarily aging or disabled clients on elder abuse, Holocaust restitution, slum housing conditions, access to medical care, consumer fraud and other critical issues. Additionally, he co-authored AB 215 with Assembly member Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), legislation that required nursing homes to post, in visible and public locations of their facilities, the star rating that has been assigned to them by the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
This piece of legislation serves to strengthen the protection and quality of life for seniors in nursing homes, which was also the focus of the California Elder Abuse Act (Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act) enacted in 1991. Generally speaking, the California Elder Abuse Act defines the abuse and/or neglect of an elder in a nursing home as an acceptable cause for legal action. Our San Diego Elder Abuse Act attorneys are extremely familiar with all California laws as they relate to elder abuse, and have successfully litigated many nursing home cases in the past. If you have any questions or concerns about the treatment that a family member has received in a nursing home and whether or not you have a right to legal action, contact a California Elder Abuse Act attorney at our firm today to discuss your specific circumstances. Even if you do not have a case, we can offer advice on how to best resolve your situation.
If you would like to speak with a San Diego elder negligence lawyer about any issue regarding the care that an elderly loved one is receiving at a nursing home or other type of elder care facility, call Berman & Riedel, LLP today at (858) 350-8855. Our staff will be more than happy to provide you and your family an initial free consultation to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. To find out more information about the firm’s California elder negligence attorneys, past successes, and types of claims that are handled by Berman & Riedel, LLP, visit the firm’s main website at www.preventelderabuse.com.
