Nursing Home Abuse Investigations in Colorado

01First steps

Report First: Who Takes Colorado Care-Facility Complaints

If a resident is in danger now, call 911. For conditions inside a licensed facility, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment takes complaints through its Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division at 303-692-2442, or 1-800-886-7689 extension 2442, and by email or online form. Adult Protective Services is run by each county's human services department; Jefferson County, for example, keeps a 24-hour line at 303-271-4673. The state Long-Term Care Ombudsman program sits within the Colorado Department of Human Services.

A private investigation does not replace any of those reports. It runs alongside them and answers the questions an agency may never answer for a family: what exactly happened, who was on shift, and whether this has happened before. We coordinate with your attorney so our work does not interfere with a law enforcement inquiry. If you are not sure where to start, our Colorado case consulting helps families put what they already know in order, and our elder scam investigators step in when the problem is money taken by phone or online.

02Colorado law

At-Risk Elders, Mandatory Reporting and the Crimes That Apply

Colorado's criminal code treats people 70 or older as at-risk elders, and adults 18 or older with a disability as at-risk adults, under C.R.S. § 18-6.5-102. Under § 18-6.5-108, a long list of professionals, including health care providers, long-term care staff, first responders, social workers, clergy and certain financial-institution employees, must report suspected mistreatment of an at-risk elder to law enforcement within 24 hours. Willful failure to report is generally a class 2 misdemeanor, and good-faith reporters are protected.

Theft from an at-risk person carries heavier penalties too. Under C.R.S. § 18-6.5-103(5), theft from an at-risk person is generally a class 5 felony when the value is under $500 and a class 3 felony at $500 or more, including theft by someone acting in a position of trust. Nursing facility residents also hold rights under C.R.S. § 25-1-120, such as privacy in treatment and freedom from improper restraint. A nursing home abuse investigation gathers facts against these standards, and the Colorado attorneys we work with decide which claims fit.

• At-risk elder: generally 70 or older
• Listed professionals report to police within 24 hours
• Theft from an at-risk person can be a class 3 felony
• Resident rights under C.R.S. § 25-1-120

03Warning signs

Signs That Call for a Closer Look

Families tend to notice the same signals: bruises in places a fall would not explain, bedsores, rapid weight loss, poor hygiene, a resident who suddenly seems sedated or afraid of a particular staff member, call lights left unanswered, and short or changing explanations from staff. Any one of these can have an innocent cause. A pattern, especially one that lines up with certain shifts or certain employees, deserves documentation, and our Colorado wrongful death team knows how these patterns are proven later.

Write down what you see, with dates, times, names and photographs where the facility allows them. Ask for the care plan and the incident reports the resident or the legal representative is entitled to. If medication seems off, keep pharmacy statements; our medication and overdose reviews compare what was ordered with what was given. Residents with dementia sometimes walk out of a building unnoticed, and when that happens our locate specialists for missing relatives work the search while we examine how supervision failed.

04Financial exploitation

Missing Money, Jewelry and Account Activity

Financial abuse in a care setting can look small at first: a missing ring, cash gone from a drawer, a new name on a bank account, or checks written for services nobody can explain. The person responsible may be an employee, another visitor or a relative with a power of attorney. We trace account activity the family is entitled to see, review who had access and when, and document the gaps. When valuables were taken, our Colorado stolen asset recovery work follows the property.

Larger losses call for a fuller picture of where the money went, and our asset investigations in Colorado identify property and accounts that may be recoverable. When the suspect is a staff member, the facility's own hiring and supervision become part of the case, and our employee theft investigations apply the methods we use for businesses. Colorado's civil theft statute, C.R.S. § 18-4-405, generally lets an owner seek three times actual damages plus fees from the taker, which counsel can weigh.

05Cameras and recordings

Cameras, Recordings and What Colorado Law Allows

We found no Colorado statute that gives residents or families a right to place a camera in a nursing home room, so whether one is allowed generally depends on facility policy and the admission agreement. Assisted living rules reportedly require a residence to disclose at move-in whether it uses video surveillance. Ask the administrator in writing before installing anything, and keep the answer. Our Colorado surveillance investigators can advise on lawful observation that does not depend on hidden devices.

Colorado is a one-party consent state: a participant can generally record a conversation they are part of. Recording conversations you are not part of, such as staff talking in a resident's room while you are absent, can be eavesdropping under C.R.S. § 18-9-304, a class 2 misdemeanor. Roommates also have privacy interests. Before relying on any recording, read our Colorado recording law guide and talk to counsel. Lawful, documented evidence carries weight; questionable recordings can damage an otherwise strong claim.

06Claims

Deadlines, Certificates of Review and Facility Staff

Colorado negligence and wrongful death claims generally must be filed within two years under C.R.S. § 13-80-102, and if a facility is operated by a county or other public entity, the Governmental Immunity Act's 182-day notice may apply first. Claims based on the professional negligence of licensed professionals generally require the plaintiff's attorney to file a certificate of review within 60 days after service under C.R.S. § 13-20-602, which means a qualified expert must have reviewed the facts. Early, organized evidence makes that review faster.

Staff history often matters. We research the public background of employees involved, including prior incidents where lawful sources show them, through employee background checks in Colorado, and test the reliability of key accounts with witness credibility research. Facility operators are usually business entities served through their registered agent, and Colorado legal paper service delivers complaints with a signed affidavit when counsel files.

• Negligence and wrongful death: generally two years
• Public facilities: 182-day notice may apply
• Certificate of review: generally 60 days after service
• Registered agents receive service for facility operators

07Distance

When Family Lives Far From the Facility

Many Colorado residents in care have adult children in other states, or in another corner of Colorado, hours from a facility in a mountain town or on the Western Slope. Distance makes it hard to visit often enough to see patterns. We combine remote records work, scheduled field visits within the facility's visiting rules and interviews with former staff, so the family gets a clear picture without living next door. Federally certified nursing homes also appear on Medicare's public comparison tool, which we review for inspection history alongside the other sources used across our specialized Colorado investigations.

Field work is assigned from the closest team, with travel costs approved in writing before any trip. Colorado does not currently license private investigators at the state level, so families should ask hard questions about supervision and experience; our checklist for choosing a Colorado investigator walks through them. Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee firm that works to Tennessee's standard, and our Boulder County investigators and Lakewood team cover much of the Front Range.

Services

Nursing Home Abuse Investigation Services

• Visit documentationDated observations and photographs of conditions, injuries and staffing during visits the facility permits, recorded so counsel can rely on them later.Learn more
• Records reviewOrganization of care plans, incident reports, charting and medication records the resident or legal representative is entitled to receive.Learn more
• Former staff interviewsFinding and interviewing aides, nurses and administrators who have left the facility and are willing to describe staffing and practices.Learn more
• Financial exploitation tracingFollowing missing cash, valuables and account activity to identify who had access and what may be recoverable through counsel.Learn more
• Employee background researchLawful public-record research on staff involved in an incident, including prior employment and any recorded history relevant to the claim.Learn more
• Medication review supportComparison of ordered and administered medications with outside pharmacy data when sedation, missed doses or an overdose is suspected.Learn more
• Wandering and elopement casesLocating a resident who left the building and documenting the supervision gaps that let it happen.Learn more
• Death reviewIndependent review of the records and the facility's explanation after a resident's death that leaves the family with unanswered questions.Learn more
• Service on facility operatorsDelivery of complaints and subpoenas to operators and registered agents, with logged attempts and a signed affidavit of service.Learn more

How it works

How a Nursing Home Abuse Investigation Works

1. 01

   Confidential consultation

   We talk through what you have seen, which facility is involved, who holds legal authority for the resident and what reports have already gone to CDPHE, APS or police.

2. 02

   Written scope and estimate

   You receive the planned tasks, an estimate measured against the $1,500 abuse investigation minimum and any approved travel. Work begins only after you sign off.

3. 03

   Documentation and interviews

   We document conditions, gather records, find former staff and trace money where needed, keeping the family and attorney updated in writing as facts come in.

4. 04

   Report for the family and counsel

   You receive a dated report with exhibits, a witness list and open questions, organized so an attorney and a reviewing expert can act on it quickly.

Compare

Where Colorado Care-Facility Concerns Go

Statewide coverage

Care-Facility Investigations Across Colorado

Records review and money tracing are done remotely at the same hourly rate statewide. Visits and interviews come from the nearest team, including our Aurora private investigators, Castle Rock investigators for Douglas County, the Loveland team for northern Colorado and our Colorado Springs investigation team for El Paso County. The Colorado investigations overview lists every city we serve.

• Denver
• Aurora
• Lakewood
• Colorado Springs
• Boulder
• Loveland
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado