Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

October 3, 2025

Identifying Nursing Home Neglect When Your Spouse is Receiving Long-Term Care

Nursing home abuse and neglect can happen at any facility in Riverside County and throughout Southern California. There are ways to reduce the risk of moving an elderly loved one into a facility where abuse or neglect may be more likely, such as by reviewing facility ratings, researching safety records, and visiting the facility to look for common red flags associated with abuse, neglect, or negligence. Yet even when you take all the precautions, abuse or neglect injuries can still happen. We often think about adult children of elderly residents being the ones to spot the signs of abuse or neglect, but spouses can also be extremely important when it comes to identifying symptoms of elder abuse.

If your spouse is now living in a nursing home and you are still living independently, what should you look for when you visit? The following are some of the most common signs that something is not right, and you should seek advice from a Riverside County nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as possible.

Physical or Visible Injuries

August 22, 2025

When are Bed Sores Most Likely to Occur?

by Walton Law Firm

If you have an elderly loved one who currently resides in a nursing home in San Bernardino County or elsewhere in North County, it is critical to be aware of injury risks at their nursing home — including common signs of harm. It is critical to know that a nursing home can be liable for harm even in circumstances where harm was not intentional, including when a resident develops an infection like a bed sore.

When are bed sores most likely to occur in nursing home residents? While we know that patients with certain mobility issues are at greatest risk for this type of infection, a recent report from McKnight’s Long-Term Care News suggests that the wounds occur most frequently when nursing homes have staff members on overtime hours.

What are Bed Sores?

August 8, 2025

When Nursing Home Neglect is Intentional: Understanding Willful Deprivation

by Walton Law Firm

Older adults in Orange County nursing homes should always expect to be treated with dignity and respect, and they should also be able to expect that nursing homes are employing a sufficient number of staff to provide for the individual needs of residents. Yet, much too often, nursing homes do not provide the quality of care that they promise to provide. As a result of nursing home abuse — including intentional acts of physical and emotional harm, as well as sexual abuse — and nursing home neglect or negligence, Southern California nursing home residents suffer serious and sometimes deadly injuries. Families are often taught to be aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect, including physical and psychological warning signs about an elderly loved one’s well-being.

We often think about nursing home abuse as intentional harm and neglect as a failure to provide care due to understaffing, for example, yet there are some cases in which nursing home neglect is intentional. In other words, staff members might make intentional decisions to withhold care in order to deprive elderly residents of the assistance they need or the medications on which they rely. Our Orange County nursing home neglect lawyers can explain in more detail.

Understanding Willful Deprivation in Southern California Nursing Homes

July 25, 2025

Assessing Fall Risks in Riverside County Nursing Homes

by Walton Law Firm

Older adults in Riverside County and throughout Southern California are not only at greater risk of falling than younger adults, but they are also more likely to sustain serious injuries when they do fall. According to a recent report in The New York Times, falls are nearly always preventable, yet they continue to harm seniors in assisted-living facilities and nursing homes. Sometimes falls occur because a facility has an inadequate number of staff, such that residents do not receive the help and assistance they need with mobility tasks. In other circumstances, a facility might have certain hazards on the premises that result in a fall. At the same time, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities may not prioritize fall prevention, and thus they may not be employing many of the “small changes and good habits” that the report suggests can make a significant difference in reducing falls among the elderly.

What should you know about falls and fall risks in Southern California nursing homes? Our Riverside County nursing home neglect attorneys can tell you more.

Why is Falling So Common Among Older Adults?

July 11, 2025

Skin Tear Wounds in San Diego County Nursing Homes

by Walton Law Firm

Nursing home and assisted living facility residents, as a result of age and certain underlying conditions, can be at greater risk of certain types of wounds and other injuries. Skin tears are among those, and when they are not properly treated, they can result in serious and even life-threatening infections. While skin tears on their own may not be the result of nursing home negligence or neglect, serious infections that result from them can be. When skin tear wounds do lead to severe infections, it is essential to seek advice from a San Diego County nursing home neglect lawyer who can help.

A recent report in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News discusses a new study concerning skin tears and risk factors among nursing home residents. Our San Diego County nursing home injury lawyers can tell you more.

What Are Skin Tears?

June 20, 2025

Liability for Wandering and Elopement in Los Angeles County Nursing Homes

by Walton Law Firm

Nursing home negligence can take many different forms, and it is important for anyone with an elderly loved one in a Los Angeles County nursing home to know when a facility can be liable for a careless act or omission. Wandering and elopement are common issues among nursing home residents that raise questions about nursing home negligence. When an elderly nursing home resident wanders from an area that is safe, they can get hurt. In many cases, the nursing home can be liable for any harm that occurs because the facility has a duty to ensure that staff members properly monitor residents who may be likely to wander.

Our Los Angeles County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more about wandering and elopement, and we can help you understand whether a facility may be liable if your loved one suffered harm because of wandering or elopement.

What are Wandering and Elopement?

May 23, 2025

Staffing Instability Increases Risk of Harm in Orange County Nursing Homes

by Walton Law Firm

When your elderly parent or another elderly loved one needs to move into a nursing home in Orange County for care, it can be difficult to know how to choose the right facility. While safety records, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System, and personal nursing home visits can help families to make informed decisions about nursing homes in Southern California, there are also other factors that you should consider. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, suggests that staffing instability may be among the most important factors in identifying the quality of care a nursing home can provide. Our Orange County nursing home neglect attorneys can tell you more.

Staffing Instability Impacts the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes

Consistent staffing may be among the most important factors that families should consider when deciding on a nursing home for a loved one, the recent study from UC Irvine suggests. That research, published in the journal Health Affairs Scholar, “showed that nursing homes either gained or lost a quality star when the staffing instability measure was included in the Five-Star metric,” a news release from UC Irvine reported.

May 12, 2025

Medicaid Cuts Could Threaten Long-Term Care for Seniors — Here’s Why It Matters

by Walton Law Firm

At Nursing Home Law Group, we’re committed to protecting the rights of vulnerable seniors. That includes speaking up when proposed changes in federal policy threaten access to the long-term care so many elderly Americans depend on. Right now, a quiet but dangerous proposal in Congress could put essential nursing home care out of reach for people like Owen Allen — and thousands of others across the country.

Owen, a 64-year-old man with muscular dystrophy, lives in a Medicaid-supported nursing home in Georgia. With help from skilled staff, he works to regain his strength through therapy and daily activities. His care, like that of more than 60% of nursing home residents nationwide, is paid for by Medicaid. Without it, he simply wouldn’t be able to stay.

What’s Happening in Congress?

April 25, 2025

Why Cognitive Impairment Makes Older Adults More Vulnerable to Abuse

by Walton Law Firm

Older adults in Riverside County can experience nursing home abuse or neglect regardless of the status of their mental or physical health, but older adults with cognitive impairment tend to be at greater risk of sustaining harm as a result of abuse and neglect. Sometimes cognitive decline occurs gradually, and family members do not realize that an elderly loved one is more vulnerable until it is too late. In other circumstances, an elderly nursing home resident may have already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, and may be particularly vulnerable depending on the degree of their cognitive impairment.

Our Riverside County nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys can tell you more about why cognitive impairment makes older adults particularly vulnerable to abuse, and we can begin working with you as soon as you have concerns about an elderly loved one’s safety.

What is Cognitive Impairment?

April 11, 2025

Preventing Repeat Mistreatment Among Nursing Home Abuse Victims

by Walton Law Firm

How often does elder abuse and neglect occur in San Diego County nursing homes and assisted-living facilities? According to new data reported by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), as many as one out of every five older adults in recent years — or 20% of the older adult population — may have been subject to some form of abuse or neglect. And that information still coincides with estimates that only about one out of every 24 cases of elder abuse are actually reported. As such, it is possible that far more than 20% of the elderly population experiences some form of abuse at least once. How often do subsequent acts of abuse or neglect occur? That information is not especially well documented, but according to a recent article in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, a new program could help to prevent repeat acts of abuse and neglect in various long-term care settings.

New Hospital-Based Program Helps Seniors Who Have Experienced Elder Abuse

Older adults who have suffered harm as a result of nursing home abuse and neglect may experience abuse again — especially those who are particularly vulnerable, such as older adults with dementia or cognitive impairments. The article in McKnight’s discusses a new program specifically designed to identify seniors who have experienced mistreatment and to intervene effectively.