Elder abuse is rarely investigated

Elder abuse and sexual assault are rarely investigated at assisted living homes in California.

There are about 12,000 complaints each year, but members of law enforcement have referred only 82 to state prosecutors as cases since 2002.

This raises serious issues concerning the integrity of the Department of Social Services and their regulatory system. At the same time, there have been examples of administrators that operate and staff that work at these senior care facilities who have not served the public well. These may be isolated cases, but it strains credulity there are not sufficient safeguards employed to prevent the number and frequency of injuries and tragedies.