The California Department of Health has rendered its most severe citation (AA) and a $80,000 fine following an investigation into the death of an 86-year-old woman at Walnut Whitney Care Center (California). An investigation determined that the woman was admitted to the facility in March, 2008 for medical care related to injuries she sustained in a fall.

Just five weeks after her initial admission, the woman was transferred to a hospital emergency room where she diagnosed as having septic shock. Less than 24-hours after her hospital admission she died from resulting complications.

Specifically, the investigation determined that the nursing home failed to:

Monitor the woman for developing a urinary tract infection
Monitor the patient for dehydration
Provide necessary fluids

Walnut Whitney is owned by Horizon West Healthcare. Earlier this year, a jury awarded the family of a deceased nursing home patient $29.1 million in lawsuit premised upon elder abuse.

Learn more about the laws applicable to California nursing homes here.
Click on the links for information on nursing homes in San Diego , Los Angeles and San Francisco

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Nancy Brown says:

December 7, 2010 at 5:21 am

No surprise there that this has happened. As an AIN there are many residents who are looked over for UTI…..its actually a very common condition to have with elderly women in nursing homes because they are not given enough fluids, not toileted enough and are left in their own urine many more times than they should be.
Its called over worked carers, under ratio for carers to residents and a lack of water. Shame it takes a death to bring out this information. The aged care system is dangerous, and is exposing our elderly to many more deaths like this one.