Articles Posted in Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

by

rawpixel-487102-unsplash-copy-300x207Sonoma County and other regions of the Bay Area have a somewhat lower fall rate among older adults than other states in the country, according to recently released data, yet falls remain a leading cause of injury among the elderly in California. Whether a fall occurs in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in the Bay Area, how do these falls happen, and who is responsible for any injuries that result from the falls?

Our Sonoma County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more about the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and we can also provide you with more information about determining liability when an elderly loved one suffers injuries in a fall at a skilled nursing facility or residential care facility for the elderly in our state.

Who is Responsible When an Elderly Resident Falls?

Continue reading

by

inhomeTrusting a nursing home with the care of your parent, spouse, or grandparent is one of the hardest decisions a family can make. When that trust is broken — when a facility fails to treat an infection, ignores a fall, or dismisses a resident’s pain — the results can be devastating and, too often, fatal.

If you suspect a loved one didn’t receive the medical care they needed and deserved, you’re not alone, and you have legal options. Here’s what you need to know about medical neglect in California nursing homes.

What Counts as “Failure to Provide Proper Medical Care”?

Continue reading

by

Do you have an elderly loved one who currently resides in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in Berkeley or elsewhere in the Bay Area? If so, and if your elderly parent or loved one is currently taking multiple medications for a range of health issues, they could be at increased risk of suffering an injury due to a medical mistake or medical negligence in the facility. This phenomenon of being on a number of different medications is known as “polypharmacy,” and it can lead staff members at facilities to be more likely to make errors in administering medications or even in prescribing medications based on the senior’s existing medication regimen due to potential interactions or dangerous overlaps.

What should you know about polypharmacy and nursing home injuries in Berkeley, CA, and throughout the Bay Area? Our Northern California nursing home neglect lawyers can provide you with more information, and we can speak with you today about holding a facility accountable for medical negligence that resulted in your loved one’s injuries.   

What is Polypharmacy?

Continue reading

by

Why is it so important for family and friends of elderly nursing home residents to be able to recognize and report signs of abuse or neglect? In short, there are various circumstances in which residents themselves cannot, or simply choose not to, report abuse. Our San Diego nursing home neglect lawyers can explain these phenomena in more detail, and we can speak with you today if you have concerns about an elderly loved one’s health or safety in a Bay Area nursing home.

Inability to Report Abuse Due to Cognitive Impairment

Many older adults in Southern California nursing homes are residing in these facilities because they need a high level of care associated with their cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment among older adults can have different causes, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia or the result of a stroke.

Continue reading

by

senior-manAs we age, and especially at age 65 and older, the risk of sustaining certain types of injuries grows. Among older adults, fall-related injuries such as bone fractures (and hip fractures in particular), as well as traumatic brain injuries and other forms of head trauma, are more likely to occur. Choking can also become a bigger hazard. But are any of these injuries actually a “normal” part of aging? In short, the answer is no, and nursing homes can be liable when any injuries occur among elderly residents.

What Types of Injuries Become More Common as Adults Age?

Certain types of injuries become more likely and can result in more severe injuries as adults age, particularly once they reach the age of 65 or older. Choking risks increase as saliva production decreases, and as mobility issues arise, falls become more likely.

Continue reading

by

Screenshot-2026-06-16-134617-300x205Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores or pressure injuries, are among the most common and devastating injuries seen in nursing homes. They can cause severe pain, infection, hospitalization, amputation, and even death. While some pressure ulcers are unavoidable despite appropriate care, many develop because a nursing home failed to provide the basic preventive measures that vulnerable residents require.

At Nursing Home Law Group, we represent residents and families throughout California in cases involving serious pressure ulcers caused by neglect.

What Are Pressure Ulcers?

Continue reading

by

jorge-lopez-284336-copy-300x200At Nursing Home Law Group, our mission has always been to expose the systemic failures that endanger our most vulnerable citizens. We hear the heartbreaking stories daily, but a recent, groundbreaking five-month investigation by Hunterbrook Media has laid bare an institutional crisis on a staggering scale.

The target of the investigation is The Ensign Group ($ENSG), a $10 billion corporate empire and America’s largest operator of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). With 334 locations across 17 states and over 38,000 beds, Ensign claims to set the “standard by which all others in our industry are measured.”

Tragically, the investigation reveals that Ensign’s standard is built on a dubious foundation of chronic understaffing, manipulated quality metrics, corporate “tunneling,” and fatal neglect.

Continue reading

by

Wheelchair-300x200When families entrust the care of their elderly or vulnerable loved ones to skilled nursing

facilities, they expect a baseline standard of safety. We expect clean rooms, competent medical

oversight, attentive staff, and a secure environment that can withstand external crises. However,

Continue reading

by

Nursing-HomeFamilies are often told that a loved one is “stable for discharge” from the hospital and ready to transition into a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. But what many families do not realize is that the timing of that transfer can dramatically increase the risk of neglect, injury, and even death.

At Nursing Home Law Group, we have represented victims of nursing home neglect and malpractice throughout California for more than 30 years. Over and over again, we have seen serious injuries occur when residents are admitted to facilities on Fridays, holiday weekends, Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, or other periods when staffing is stretched thin.

In our experience, these admissions can create dangerous gaps in care that place vulnerable elderly residents at serious risk.

Continue reading

by

Choking-300x175When a loved one dies from choking in a nursing home or assisted living facility, families are often told it was “an accident.” In many cases, that is simply not true. Choking deaths are frequently preventable and are often the result of neglect, understaffing, or outright malpractice.

If you are here, you likely already suspect something went wrong. You are not alone, and your instincts matter.

Why Choking Deaths Happen in Nursing Homes

Continue reading
Justia Lawyer Rating
Super Lawyers
BBB Rating A+
Avvo Rating 10.0
Elder Justice Advocates
Consumer Attorneys California
AV Preeminent badge
Contact Information
North County Office
950 Boardwalk
#304
San Marcos, CA 92078
Toll Free: 866.607.1325 Local: 760.571.5500 Fax: 760.571.5501
San Diego Office
2169 1st Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
Toll Free: 866.607.1325

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Opt-Out IconYour Privacy Choices Cookie Policy Manage Cookies

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2026, Walton Law Firm
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design