Supreme Court Says In-Home Caregiver Limited to Comp Recovery for Injuries from Patient

A divided California Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the workers' compensation system provides the appropriate means of recovery for in-home health care workers who are injured by Alzheimer's patients. The majority opinion in Gregory v. Cott expressly recognizes that because agitation and physical aggression are common late-stage symptoms of the disease, injuries to caregivers are not unusual. "We encourage the Legislature to focus its attention on the problems associated with Alzheimer's caregiving," the majority said. As the number of Californians afflicted with th...