California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

April 30, 2012

Cameras Installed in Elderly Patient Rooms Creates Controversy Over Safety and Privacy

elder%20%20fade.jpg A California health care facility has undertaken a controversial move, reports San Diego 10 News. The Vista Gardens facility, a home for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, recently installed surveillance cameras in patient rooms. The home claims the cameras are meant to protect patients specifically suffering from memory loss. Our San Diego elder abuse lawyers know many families worry about the safety of their loved ones living in long-term residential facilities. The home’s $200,000 worth of surveillance cameras protect “those who can’t report for themselves and need monitoring or safety measures,” stated Dr. Jacqueline Dupont of Vista Gardens.

Vista Gardens is a posh facility that includes a number of amenities such as a sports bar, spa, and putting green. It is family owned and operated. Owner Don Crowell explained that the cameras, which currently are not operational, serve a two-pronged function because they protect both the residents and the caregivers. “‘Two different things can happen,’ said Crowell. ‘Somebody has been abused or somebody may think they’ve been abused and they haven’t.’”

Under California law, cameras can be used to monitor residents in common areas such as hallways or dining facilities. For the moment, the cameras installed in patient bedrooms must remain off, according to the California Department of Social Services. One elder advocate stated the cameras in patient rooms are designed to be used as a “look back,” and are appropriate if used in that way. This means the cameras would be rolling, but no one would monitor them in real time. The film would only be reviewed if a problem were raised. However, an appropriate balance must be found between health and safety, and the patient’s right to privacy, said the State Department of Social Services. Michael Weston, spokesman for the California Department of Social Services, said he expects there to be decision regarding the use of cameras in private living areas of licensed community care facilities within the next few months.

April 23, 2012

Family of Deceased Man Files “Quality of Care” Suit Against Retirement Facility

by Nursing Home Law Group

A lawsuit has been filed against a Redlands retirement facility for allegedly failing to provide the quality of services promised to an elderly resident, reports the Redlands Daily Facts. The complaint also alleges the facility, Mission Commons Retirement Residence, is not staffed or operated in compliance with California law. Our San Bernardino elder neglect lawyers work with families in many surrounding communities and often hear from families that are concerned about the care their loved ones are receiving in California nursing homes and long-term care facilities. It is natural to have such concerns, and while we cannot endorse any one way to locate an appropriate facility, we do recommend doing as much research as possible on the nursing homes in your area and making site visits to those facilities.

According to the lawsuit against the Redlands retirement home, former resident Jack K. Hanson, Sr. lived at the independent and assisted living facility from June 2009 until his death in April 2011. His family says that residents at the facility do not receive the quality of services they pay for. Initially, Mr. Hanson paid $5,000 per month to live at the facility. In exchange, Mission Commons Retirement Residence promised to provide care that complied with California law and the level of care described in its “Admissions Agreement,” which was signed by both parties.

When he first entered the facility, Mr. Hanson was part of Mission Commons’ independent living facility. However, as his condition worsened, his family agreed to pay more money, $5,500 a month, to move him to another part of the facility with the promise of better care. The complaint, filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims the elderly man suffered a fracture and pressure sores due to the negligent care he received. Those injuries, as well as general neglect, allegedly led to the man’s death.

April 17, 2012

Highest Court Rules Binding Arbitration Clauses Valid in Nursing Home Agreements

by Nursing Home Law Group

Deciding how to care for an aging loved one likely will be one of the most difficult and emotional decisions you will ever have to make. Our North County nursing home lawyers know that caring for aging family members can cause an enormous amount of stress and emotional turmoil. For example, there often are many daunting tasks involved in caring for an parent, including: taking over a parent’s finances, making medical appointments, navigating through a maze of insurance coverage and claims, and even finding space in your home or locating an appropriate long-term care facility. Unfortunately, a recent Supreme Court opinion may make selecting a nursing home for your loved one even harder.

According to a new high scout decision, nursing homes may freely use binding arbitration clauses in their contracts with residents. Such agreements bar elder abuse victims and their families from suing in court, even in cases involving the most egregious and extreme instances of abuse or neglect. The decision, Marmet Health Care Center, Inc. v. Brown (2012), overturned a ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court, which allowed families to bring lawsuits against nursing homes despite the existence of binding arbitration agreements. Plaintiffs in three wrongful death suits against West Virginia nursing homes sought compensation despite the fact that they or their loved ones had signed an agreement to settle disputes in arbitration, instead of courts, when seeking to admit their loved ones to a nursing home. As is often the case, such binding arbitration clauses typically are buried in contracts and most people do not understand the implications of agreeing to them. Agreements containing binding arbitration clauses could even be one of many pages included in a pile of paperwork required by a nursing home prior to the admission of a new resident.

The Court’s decision was based on the 1925 Federal Arbitration Act, a law providing businesses with almost unlimited power to include arbitration clauses in contracts. The problem with arbitration is that it puts too much power in the hands of businesses, which typically do not have the interests of consumers at heart, even vulnerable consumers such as soon-to-be nursing home residents. Arbitration proceedings often are secretive and expensive for consumers to pursue. Monetary damages awarded in favor of a plaintiff are generally lower in arbitration than those in court.

April 9, 2012

San Diego Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Discuss the Need to Curb Use of Chemical Restraints

by Nursing Home Law Group

Powerful antipsychotic drugs are frequently used in San Diego County nursing homes to address behavioral issues caused by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, including aggression, agitation, and delirium. However, these drugs can have serious consequences for elders and can easily be misused or incorrectly prescribed. According to the Consumer Voice, when antipsychotic drugs are prescribed for elderly persons with dementia, serious medical complications can occur such as loss of independence, over-sedation, confusion, falls, and even death. Recently, nursing home advocates and those of us working in North County elder abuse law have been concerned about the misuse of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes and residential facilities. Finally, however, the government is taking notice, and a federal agency has announced a new initiative to address this so-called “drugging epidemic.”

According to an elder care statement released by the Consumer Voice, the federal campaign has been launched in order to bring about the end of the use of antipsychotic drugs as chemical restraints for seniors. Unfortunately, some nursing homes in the San Diego area and across the nation improperly use strong antipsychotic medications to control elderly residents by effectively drugging them into submission.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General reported that the overwhelming majority of Medicare claims for antipsychotic drug were inappropriate. Michael Connors, Long-Term Care Advocate with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, stated that “[t]oo many nursing homes use antipsychotic drugs as a way to control residents when they don’t have enough well-trained staff who know their residents well and can give them the time and attention they need.” Additionally, many facilities fail to obtain the proper consent from residents or their families. Another elder care advocate asserted that chemical restraints are just as dangerous for residents as physical restraints, which frequently are a sign of abuse.

April 2, 2012

Routine Hernia Surgery Results in Death for Elderly Man

by Nursing Home Law Group

Routine surgeries or hospitalizations can sometimes have unexpected and negative outcomes due to hospital or medical staff negligence. Under California law, a wrongful death suit may be filed when a loved one passes away due to suspected San Diego nursing home abuse or neglect. The Walton Law Firm has successfully prosecuted nursing homes and residential facilities for neglect and abuse for years. We know how to spot the signs and symptoms of neglect and abuse crucial to proving your case.

seniors%20dreaming.jpg Unfortunately, even simple surgeries or procedures can turn deadly due to medical negligence. For example, the widow of a successful businessman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the doctors and hospital allegedly responsible for her husband’s death, reports the Scranton Times-Tribune. The man died at the hospital in July 2011 after a hernia surgery that ultimately led to complications. In early July, the elderly man entered the hospital for surgery on a recurrent hernia. Just three days later he returned to the hospital complaining of hiccups, shortness of breath, and wheezing and underwent a series of tests and doctor consultations. The next day, he was transferred to the intensive care unit. Doctors reported that the man was showing signs of signs of septic shock. He later went into cardiac arrest and died shortly thereafter.

As our San Diego and Riverside elder abuse attorneys know, sepsis is a condition that can rapidly become worse or even lead to death if not treated properly. Essentially, sepsis is the body’s response to infection. Sepsis is often referred to as blood poisoning and is characterized by inflammation and the presence of a known or suspected infection. Severe sepsis is typically treated in the intensive care unit with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. Aside from inflammation, patients suffering from severe sepsis often suffer from fever and vomiting.

Sadly, however, there is no universal set of symptoms associated with a septic infection, but knowing some of the warning signs can help you identify the presence of sepsis before it is too late. Infection, overwhelming inflammation, and fever are typical signs. Elderly patients may experience shaking chills instead of a fever. Pain, irritability, and confusion may also be signs. Most importantly, if you see a loved one exhibiting some or all of these symptoms, please take your loved one to an emergency room right away so that medical staff can provide a proper diagnosis and the necessary treatment.

The widow’s lawsuit alleges that the negligence of the defendants caused or increased the risk of harm of her husband’s symptoms, condition, and resulting death. In short, it alleges that the hospital’s negligence turned her husband’s hernia deadly.

If you believe that a loved one is suffering from elder abuse or neglect, please get them help immediately. Common signs of San Diego nursing home abuse or elder neglect include bed sores, dehydration, suspicious bruises, and infection. Other indications of poor care at nursing homes can include understaffing, unclean facilities, and a lack of appropriate supervision. If you have questions, our qualified professionals can help provide the answers, and we are happy to help you find the resources you need to ensure that your loved ones are receiving the care and attention they deserve.

See Our Related Blog Posts:

Death Certificates in Nursing Home Deaths Often Contain Incorrect Information

Record Falsification Uncovered in California Nursing Homes

March 27, 2012

GAO Studies the CMS Nursing Home Rating System

by Nursing Home Law Group

Making the decision to place a loved one in a nursing home is always a difficult and emotional process. The San Diego nursing home neglect lawyer at our firm appreciate that the process is made even more difficult by the fact that most families do not know where to begin when choosing a home. With stories of nursing home mistreatment shared frequently, it is not easy to confidently select a facility where a loved one’s quality of care will be prioritized.

There are no fool-proof ways to chose a long-term care facility without having any risk at all of a senior suffering from neglect or mistreatment. However, one great resource to start with is the “Nursing Home Compare” website supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The website offers various tools which allow those throughout the country to get an idea of how certain nursing home stack up against one another on a wide range of variables. Combining various data sets (mostly based on federal regulatory information), the website also gives virtually all nursing homes in the country a uniform rating of between one and five stars. The rating is perhaps the easiest way to get a split-second estimate of the level of care likely to be provided at any given facility.

This week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the results of a study into the CMS rating system. The study was called for by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act. The research examined the history of the nursing home rating system and the ways that the system might be altered in the future.

March 19, 2012

El Dorado County Nurses Criminally Charged in Elder Neglect and Nursing Home Record Falsification Case

by Nursing Home Law Group

Many California seniors seek care in nursing facilities across our state when they find that they can no longer care for themselves or, simply, if they do not wish to continue to live on their own. When deciding to reside in a long-term care facility, no one expects that they will become the victim of neglect or abuse. Unfortunately, as the attorneys at the Walton Law Firm know, elder abuse perpetrated by caregivers is very common.

elder%20hands.jpg For example, two El Dorado County nurses have recently been charged with felony elder abuse involving the 2008 death of 77-year-old Johnnie Esco. Our Orange County elder abuse lawyers previously discussed the elderly woman’s tragic death because her case revealed the shocking and negligent practice of record falsification at California nursing homes. The 77-year-old suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and was recovering from pneumonia. Her death was caused by staff negligence. Nurses were supposed to closely monitor the patient because her medications gave her chronic constipation, according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News. Their failure to do so left the elderly woman with severe fecal impaction, and she died the day after arriving at a local hospital. Doctors also discovered unexplained bruising on the woman’s body.

The nursing staff’s failure to monitor the elderly woman amounted to nursing home negligence. Prosecutors involved in the case stated in court documents that both defendants “clearly neglected” their patient, causing her to suffer “unjustifiable pain.” Those of us working in San Diego area elder abuse understand there is nothing worse than knowing a loved one died in pain. Even worse, in this instance, the staff at the El Dorado County nursing home attempted to cover up their actions and allegedly altered their patient’s medical records to hide their neglect and abuse.

March 12, 2012

Federal Report Finds State Oversight of California Nursing Homes Deficient

by Nursing Home Law Group

Last week, the federal government issued a new report that scrutinizes California nursing home inspections. The report finds those inspections lacking because inspectors fall far short in following up on their own investigative findings into problems at nursing facilities across the state. The California Department of Public Health is responsible for inspecting the state’s 1,150 nursing homes. Our San Diego County nursing home abuse lawyers have successfully sued nursing homes and residential facilities for neglect and abuse for years, and our firm is recognized as a leader in this area of law. As a result, we are familiar with how important it is for state officials to conduct thorough and accurate nursing home inspections.

The Department of Public Health (DPH) enforces both state and federal regulations that govern California nursing homes. However, the state and federal systems follow different rules and can levy different fines and sanctions when nursing homes commit violations. According to the DPH, it receives about 19,000 complaints and facility-reported issues each year. The DPH instructs inspectors to first examine problems in light of state laws that allow them to levy fines of $1,000 to $100,000. Those fines can be levied for a number of reasons, including, for example, a finding of San Diego elder neglect or abuse.

The recent federal report examines how well state inspectors from the DPH enforce federal regulations. When state inspectors fail to follow up on their inquiries, it can potentially enable sustained neglect or lax practices that can injure residents, according to a report from California Watch. The federal report, which was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, examined the handling of 178 findings of deficiencies at three nursing homes that send a high rate of patients to nearby hospitals with painful bedsores and severe infections. The inspector general found that nursing home regulators underestimated the severity of problems in 13% of the findings.

March 5, 2012

High Numbers of San Diego Abuse Cases for Disabled Adults, but Few Prosecutions

by Nursing Home Law Group

Despite high numbers of substantiated patient abuse cases at California institutions caring for disabled adults, a recent article in the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that there are very few subsequent prosecutions. This disparity came to light after California Watch, a watchdog agency that frequently focuses on issues such as the public’s health and welfare, blew the whistle. The agency published a series of reports about flawed investigations conducted by a police force responsible for scrutinizing instances of potential abuse or death at state institutions for disabled adults. Our San Diego elder abuse lawyer has handled several cases against state-run facilities for the developmentally disabled, so our firm understands the unique and complex issues that such cases raise. For example, in cases involving dependent adults, many victims may not be able to adequately describe the abuse they have suffered making it crucial for their advocates to investigate all issues suggesting a pattern of neglect or abuse. crime%20scene.jpg

The Office of Protective Services (OPS) is a police force dedicated to investigating patient deaths and suspicious injuries at state-run facilities in California. However, since 2006 there have been 327 substantiated patient abuse cases and 762 unexplained injuries at five state-run institutions, yet few of those cases have led to prosecutions. The board-and-care institutions—located in Sonoma, Los Angeles, Riverside, Tulare, and Orange counties—are home to approximately 1,800 patients with cerebral palsy, severe autism, and intellectual disabilities. The relatively few prosecutions, as well as suspicious circumstances in certain cases, suggest that the OPS investigations are seriously flawed.

In one instance, a 50-year-old patient at Fairview Developmental Center in Orange County was found on his bedroom floor with a broken neck in 2007. The man died six days later. In spite of the suspicious circumstances, including the man’s relatively young age, police at the institution did not collect physical evidence from the scene while investigating the Orange County suspicious patient death. They also waited five days before beginning to interview potential witnesses. No arrests were ever made in the case, and it is possible that it will never be clear exactly what happened due to the shoddy investigative work.

February 27, 2012

Better Access to Primary Care Can Help Prevent Hospitalizations for San Diego Seniors

by Nursing Home Law Group

insurance%20health.jpg Data released by a new statewide study shows that better access to preventive and primary health care could have kept thousands of Californians out of hospitals, according to the North County Times. Earlier this month, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development released the study, which found that high numbers of “preventable hospitalizations” are an indication of systemic shortcomings related to access to quality primary care. With all of the recent uncertainty surrounding California’s Adult Day Health Care program, our San Diego elder abuse lawyers know that many local families are worried about finding affordable access to medical care for their loved ones.

The statewide study found that there were more than 335,000 adult hospitalizations in California that could have been avoided if the patient had seen a doctor sooner. Good primary care up front can prevent future hospitalizations. Seniors are particularly vulnerable to receiving poor care and should visit doctors regularly to help maintain their current health. Although the data on preventable hospitalizations does not necessarily indicate poor hospital care, the study did report 334 incidents in some type of surgical equipment was left inside a patient’s body, as well as 8,230 cases in which patients were accidentally cut or punctured during their hospital stay. At least some of those accidents were probably the result of negligent care, in which case a San Diego medical malpractice lawsuit likely would be appropriate.

A lack of preventative health care also takes a large financial toll on state resources, as well as on family members. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a report last year that noted that 26% of all patients who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid had avoidable hospitalizations. The total cost to taxpayers in 2011 was more than $7 billion.