A report published by the National Nursing Home Survey finds that between 1999 and 2004 the number of nursing home beds and nursing home residents declined in the United States. The number of nursing home beds dropped more than 10%, or 200,000 beds, and there are approximately 100,000 fewer nursing…
The California Department of Public Health has issued fines to two Orange County nursing homes after concluding that negligent nursing care lead to the deaths of two residents. Alamitos West Health Care Center in Los Alamitos was fined $100,000.00, and Huntington Valley Healthcare in Huntington Beach was fined $80,000.00. Investigators…
This list contains the issuance of citations to Southern California nursing facilities by the California Department of Public Health over the last six months. All the citations listed are issued for reasons related to patient care. For verification of the citation, please contact the local department office or Walton Law…
California law allows the creation of “family councils” by relative of a nursing home resident to help influence the quality of care given to a resident. Not merely gripe sessions, these councils can facilitate communications between families and residents with the nursing home staff and caregivers, and also offer peer…
When Doris Weaver saw her mother’s black eye at the local hospital emergency room where she had been taken from a nursing home, she was stunned. “She had a bruise from her temple all the way down to her lower earlobe,” said Weaver. “Her eye was black and was swollen.”…
There is a short but solid article in a New Jersey paper today addressing the signs of elder abuse. New Jersey attorney Victoria Dalton lays out the real world signs and symptoms of elder abuse, which she defines simply as taking advantage of the elderly. Physical Abuse Physical abuse is…
The Walton Law Firm elder abuse and neglect lawsuit filed against Vista Hospital of Riverside was the subject of a front page story in the Press Enterprise newspaper today. The lawsuit arises out of the improper care provided to 78-year-old Shirley Buffa, who died after the hospital failed to administer…
The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), a statewide advocacy organization dedicated to improving care for California seniors, has launched a weekly radio program for seniors. The show is called Elder Issues and Answers, and his hosted by Pat McGinnis and Prescott Cole. The show airs Saturday mornings at…
In the news today is an article from the BBC about a nursing home nurse who was found guilty of assaulting an 80-year-old patient who suffers from dementia. According to the article (found here), the perpetrator “twisted the hand” of the resident, causing the resident to scream and cry. The…
A conservatorship is a protective court proceeding which is held in the Probate Division of the San Diego Superior Court. A general conservatorship can be a critical vehicle used to assist someone who has suffered a debilitating accident or injury that impairs their ability to care for themselves physically or…