15 Sep INJURED HOME HEALTH WORKERS ASSUME THE RISK WHEN HELPING ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS
On August 4, 2014, the California Supreme Court ruled that Alzheimer’s patients and their families are not liable to home health care workers for injuries the workers incur on the job. In this case, the home health agency was warned that the patient could be combative. After being injured on the job, the home health agency worker sued the Alzheimer’s patient. The California Supreme Court ruled that the worker assumed the risk of injury since she knew she was hired to manage a hazardous condition. The Court also mentioned if “liability were imposed for caregiver injuries in private homes, the incentive to institutionalize Alzheimer’s patients would increase.”