A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of many past and current patients of Golden Living Centers in California alleging that the facilities’ failed to provide minimum nursing care for patients over the past five years. Despite California state standards that require nursing homes to provide no less than 3.2 hours of nursing… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: california
Lawsuit Claims That Husband & Wife Suffered From Negligent Care At Residential Care Facility For The Elderly
Posted in Bed Sores, Pressure Sores, Decubitus Ulcers & Pressure Ulcers, Group Homes, Residential Care FacilitiesLike many elderly couples, a decision to move into a long-term care facility may mean that such a decision is a ‘joint effort’ and where one spouse goes– so goes the other. In theory, moving a couple into a long-term care facility provides continuity and support in a new environment. But what happens when… Continue Reading
As More Sex Offenders Make Their Way Into Nursing Homes, Are Facilities Exposing Themselves To Increased Liability?
Posted in Sexual Abuse & AssaultAs if nursing home patients and their families didn’t have enough to worry about with respect to receiving proper medical care, many patients may be shocked to learn that they are living amongst registered sex offenders. While the component of sex offenders in nursing homes is nothing new, the fact remains that as a generation… Continue Reading
Recent Problems Highlighted In Article About Residential Care Facilities For The Elderly In California
Posted in Bed Sores, Pressure Sores, Decubitus Ulcers & Pressure Ulcers, Group HomesOne of the the emerging trends in nursing home care is the proliferation of care facilities that commonly hold themselves out to be nursing home alternatives. Many of these facilities have arisen in response to consumer demand for facilities that offer a less institutional feel and a cost far-less than traditional skilled nursing facilities (nursing… Continue Reading
Short-Term Nursing Home Admission Turns Into Nightmare
Posted in Nursing Home InjuryLike many patients in nursing nursing homes today, Donald Bodkin’s admission was only intended to be short-term to for the purpose of assisting him with the recovery from a hip surgery. However just weeks after he was admitted to Victoria Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center (California) Mr. Bodkin (93) was found dead as the result of… Continue Reading
Judge Denies Assisted Living Facilities Request For Arbitration In Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Posted in Assisted Living Facilities, Elopement & Wandering, LitigationLike all families placing a loved one in a nursing home, Erik and Ronald Kuentzel wanted the best for their mother after selecting Sunshine Villa Assisted Living Facility (Santa Cruz, California) for their mother’s residence. With a known desire to walk, combined with the fact their their mother had dementia, the brothers knew of the… Continue Reading
Elder Abuse: Captured On Video At California Facility
Posted in Nursing Home AbuseThe California Department of Social Services revoked the residential care home license from Fair Oaks Care Home. The revocation comes after the family of a patient at the facility came forth with a hidden video demonstrating staff abusing the elderly patient. In addition to abusive living conditions, the state further alleges that the facility was… Continue Reading
Dementia Patient Found In Freezer At Assisted Living Facility: An Isolated Event Or Real Cause For Concern?
Posted in Dementia / Alzheimer's PatientsThe California Department of Social Services is busy conducting an investigation into the circumstances behind how a 94-year-old with dementia managed to lock herself in a walk-in freezer at Silverado Senior Living. The October 28th incident apparently resulted when staff were in the process of repairing a lock on a kitchen door that enabled the… Continue Reading
Nursing Home Fined After Investigation Determines That Urinary Tract Infection Was Related To Poor Care
Posted in DehydrationThe 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… Continue Reading
Failure To Follow Supervisory Guidelines Results In Substantial Fine For California Facility
Posted in Nursing Home Falls, Nursing Home InjuryThe fall-related death of a 58-year-old nursing home patient at Browning Manor Convalescent Hospital triggered an investigation by the California Department of Health that determined that the facilities errors are partially to blame for the death of the patient. An investigation by the agency revealed that the facility violated its own supervisory guidelines in caring… Continue Reading
Improper Maintenance Of Lift Device Costs Nursing Home Patient Their Life
Posted in Dropped PatientsInadequate maintenance of a lift is responsible for the death of a patient at Eskaton Care Center Manzanita (California). The lift at issue is used to help staff transfer physically disabled patients into and out of their bed. According to an investigation completed by the California Department of Health, the 60-year-old nursing home patient was… Continue Reading
Will The Huge Nursing Home Verdicts Effectively Tighten The Screws On The Nursing Home Industry?
Posted in LitigationLots and lots of discussion about the $677 million verdict against Skilled Healthcare Group for not supplying that mandatory staffing levels that the State of California mandates. Some argue that the verdict is a prime example of a jury system that’s out of control, while others claiming that the large verdict is simply what the… Continue Reading
Nursing Home Chain Hit With Landmark Verdict In Under-Staffing Class Action Lawsuit
Posted in Litigation, Nursing Home Abuse, Nursing Home StaffI guess there’s probably a lot a screaming and yelling going on at the Skilled Healthcare Group (SKH) headquarters in California. Perhaps the anger derives from the miserable looking financial chart for the company showing a whopping 75% decline in price per share in one day! Another portion of the companies anger is probably being misdirected… Continue Reading
Class Action Lawsuit Against Skilled Healthcare Seeks Damages For Chronic Understaffing Of Nursing Homes
Posted in Nursing Home StaffIf you were to look at just one criteria for selecting a nursing home, I’d tell you to look at the facilities staffing levels. Sure, its nice to have a sparkly new facility and perhaps a gourmet chef, but when it comes down to patient care nothing can take the place of a sufficiently staffed… Continue Reading
Less Patients, Happier Staff, Healthier Patients. Research Shows Less May Acutally Be More When It Comes To Patient Loads For Nurses
Posted in Nursing Home StaffWithout proper staffing, even the most modern nursing homes are nothing more than buildings with beds. Knowledgeable and plentiful staff has always appeared to improve patient morale, but a new study determines that added staff may actually save lives. The Journal of Health Services Research compared the outcomes from 1.1 million people who had general… Continue Reading
Administrator Charged With Elder Abuse After Intentionally Over-Medicating Nursing Home Patients
Posted in Medication ErrorsI was glad to see criminal charges have now been filed against Pamela Ott, the Administrator at Kern Valley Healthcare District, after several employees of the facility allegedly used psychotropic medications to control the behavior of patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Ott is now facing eight felony counts of elder abuse. The instances of nursing… Continue Reading
Jury Awards Woman $1.3M After Fall At Elder-Care Facility
Posted in LitigationA California jury awarded $1.3 million in damages to a resident who fell at Leisure Palms, an elder-care facility. In October, 2006 Elaine Stinson was admitted to Leisure Palms by her husband so the facility could provide care to Elaine– who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and was recovering from hip surgery. On December 31, 2006,… Continue Reading
How Many Falls Is Enough To Impose Responsibility On Nursing Home?
Posted in Hip Fracture, Nursing Home Falls, Nursing Home Injury, Subdural HematomaFalls are a common problem facing elderly people in and out of nursing homes. By some accounts, every elderly person in America will fall at least one time over the course of the next year. Many of these falls will cause injury and some will even cause death. In the case of falls occurring in… Continue Reading
California May Require Nursing Homes To Display Their Federal Ratings
Posted in Legislation For Nursing HomesA proposal has been sent to Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger for consideration that would force California nursing homes to publicly display their federal CMS ratings. Under the proposal initiated by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, nursing homes would be required to prominently display their ‘starred rating’ so all nursing home visitors and residents can… Continue Reading
California Toughens Laws To Fight Elder Abuse
Posted in Legislation For Nursing HomesThree new laws have recently taken effect in California to help protect seniors from physical abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. SB 1140- Attempts to define elder abuse more clearly and provides stiffer penalties. Taking advantage of a person’s weakness of mind, lack of confidence or physical frailty – known as ‘undue influence’ - is now… Continue Reading