Hayward, California

The nursing home neglect lawyers at Yeroushalmi Law have created this page for the city of Hayward to inform this community of the prevalence of elder abuse in California skilled nursing facilities. Our attorneys have more than 16 years of experience in nursing home neglect litigation and have attained numerous favorable results for our clients. Despite the aggressive nature of our work as litigators, we are extremely compassionate about what we do.

Hayward is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is home to California State University, East Bay. Originally called California State University, Hayward, the university changed its name as it broadened its scope to serve the entire East Bay area. The oldest Japanese garden in California, measuring 3.5 acres, is also located in Hayward. The city has a population of 166,708 and is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area. Unsurprisingly, there are sixteen skilled nursing facilities located in Hayward.

With so many facilities to choose from, it is important to be aware of the many factors that affect the quality of care that will be provided to your loved one. First and foremost, both the quality and quantity of the staff must be taken into consideration. Nearly all issues that occur in nursing homes can be traced back to understaffing. That being said, a nursing home that appears to be fully staffed may still lack the resources to provide your loved one with the care that he or she needs.

Although California law requires that nursing homes provide a minimum of 3.5 nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD), Health and Safety Code section 1599.1 (a) requires that a skilled nursing facility provide sufficient staff to meet the needs of its residents. This means that if patient acuity levels require more than 3.5 NHPPD, the facility is obligated to provide this. Based on our own experience and consultations with legal nursing experts, skilled nursing facilities usually require far above the minimum 3.5 NHPPD. It is important to note that only nursing hours can be included in a calculation of NHPPD. That is, hours provided by direct caregivers, which usually includes RNs, LVNs, and CNAs. However, these nurses are sometimes assigned to administrative tasks, such as doing paperwork during their shifts, and therefore, these hours cannot be counted either.

While we don’t expect you to calculate the exact staffing levels of your loved one’s nursing home, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of looking out for signs of understaffing. If preventable injuries occur frequently within a nursing home, this is usually an indicator of understaffing and neglect. For example, pressure sores are highly preventable as long as a patient is frequently repositioned and maintains a healthy diet. However, preventative measures require additional care and attention that may inconvenience nurses in understaffed facilities.

If your loved one has suffered from pressure sores, he or she may be a victim of nursing home neglect. The nursing home neglect attorneys at Yeroushalmi Law have extensive knowledge regarding pressure sore cases, and we can help you with yours today. Contact us now for a free consultation.