CareT3 · When something feels wrong
Refrigerator Flowchart
Use this route when a loved one seems suddenly ill, frightened, mistreated, ignored, confused, unsafe, or not listened to.
- Check urgencyImmediate danger? Trouble breathing? Serious injury? Cannot wake? Stroke signs? Violence or threats? Severe pain or distress? If yes: call 911 now.
- Call the person responsible nowFacility: nurse / charge nurse. Hospital: bedside nurse / attending team / patient relations. Home: doctor / clinic / home-health supervisor. Ask what is documented and what will be done now.
- Request immediate protectionMedical assessment, room change, separation, wellness check, supervisor review, interpreter, written plan, or administrator callback.
- Did it get fixed?If yes, check again and keep notes. If no, no callback, or not sure, document and escalate. You do not have to wait when safety is deteriorating.
- Call outside help that fits the settingLong-term care: Ombudsman 1-800-231-4024. Home/community abuse or exploitation: APS 1-833-401-0832. Assisted living / RCFE: CCL 1-844-538-8766. Medical facility complaint: use CDPH Cal Health Find. Immediate crime or danger: 911.
Retaliation warning. If care, visits, communication, or treatment gets worse after a concern is raised, document the change and tell the Ombudsman, regulator, APS, attorney, or other outside helper. Do not argue alone with someone who is threatening or violent.
Web version of a self-contained tear-out from Family Care Navigation Packet · Institute Public v2.3.0. Contacts in the controlled packet were last verified July 31, 2026; confirm changing details before acting.