San Francisco elder abuse law firm

UTIs a Sign of Elder Neglect and Abuse

May 17, 2017 | Gregory J. Brod

Urinary tract infections can pose a serious threat to the health of an elderly individual. While both men and women may get a UTI once or a few times throughout their lives, this infection should be caught as early as possible and treated right away. Without prompt and appropriate care, individuals suffering from UTIs can go on to have more complex and harmful complications, such as acute or chronic kidney infection, permanent kidney damage, urethral narrowing, and sepsis, according to Mayo Clinic. In elderly individuals, these complications are not only painful, they can result in early death.

The Elderly are at Risk for UTIs

Unfortunately, many elderly individuals are at a high risk of UTIs because of negligent care and abuse at nursing homes. UTIs are caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract and bladder through the urethra. While our bodies are meant to be able to combat dangerous bacteria, sometimes this is not possible due to medical conditions, prescription drugs, and other factors.

The Many Forms of Financial Elder Abuse

August 2, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

It’s unfortunate but true, financial elder abuse is a growing problem. Unscrupulous thieves conducting consumer fraud schemes may target older individuals because they perceive seniors as more trusting or simply because older people may have accumulated more wealth. As a San Francisco elder abuse lawyer and a San Francisco financial fraud attorney, Greg Brod is committed to stopping ALL forms of elder abuse whether it targets the person’s physical, mental, or financial well-being.

Examples of Financial Elder Abuse from the State Bar of California

An elder abuse information pamphlet from the State Bar of California (“State Bar”) explains that seniors are often the targets of consumer fraud scams. According to the pamphlet, Americans lose billions of dollars per year due to telephone and mail scams alone. E-mail and even in-person scams are also a threat.

Observing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day & Fighting Back with Information and Support

June 15, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

The calendar is filled with days we love celebrating including New Year’s Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving Day to name just a few. There are other days that are vitally important, but that we wish there wasn’t any need to mark. June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, is one such day. It is a day to remember the victims of an ever-increasing, worldwide epidemic of elder abuse. It is not a happy day, but it is one that is important to remember because our San Francisco elder abuse law firm knows that awareness is a key part of fighting this terrible wrong.

June 15 — World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

According to the Administration on Aging’s National Council on Elder Abuse (“NCEA”), World Elder Abuse Day (“WEAAD”) was launched ten years ago by the World Health Organization at the United Nations. WEADD is intended as an opportunity for communities across to globe to work together to advance a better understanding of the problems of abuse and neglect facing older individuals. According to the NCEA, some 5 million older Americans are victimized each year by some form of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. This number is likely a gross underestimate; experts believe that for every case that is reported, up to 23 go unreported.

Fighting Financial Fraud in 2016: Northern California Lawyer Warns of Financial Scams Targeting Seniors

January 1, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

As a new year dawns, it occurs to us that our work is a mix of retrospective moments and prospective planning, focusing on difficult moments with the hopes of helping our clients move forward. We are proud of this work, but enjoy using this blog to help prevent these terrible moments. In this spirit, we turn today to the problem of financial scams targeting seniors. Elder abuse, one of our firm’s specialty practice areas, includes physical, emotional, and financial harm. Although people of any age can be impacted, seniors are disproportionately targeted with financial fraud targeting seniors on the rise. Today, our San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Rosa financial abuse lawyer looks at some common scams from 2015 with the hopes of helping readers guard their money in 2016.

The Top Ten Scams of 2016 (Plus Two)

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat recently ran an informative article that elaborates on the Better Business Bureau’s (“BBB”) list of the Top Ten Scams of 2015, a list we’d subtitle “That You Should Watch Out for in 2015”: