DO YOU SUSPECT ABUSE OR NEGLECT? Contact Us for a Free Consultation

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On a fairly regular basis I get telephone calls asking for a recommendation to a “good” nursing home or assisted living facility. I have to refrain from answering, because though I have brought legal actions against many nursing homes for abuse and neglect, I also know there are plenty of homes out there that can provide good care. I just don’t know who they are.

Today I met with someone who does. Lise Marquis, with A Place For Mom (www.aplaceformom.com), explained to me all the considerations in finding the right placement for an elderly loved one. A Place for Mom provides consultations for senior housing and care options, and has literally hundreds of options including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, respite care, and board and care homes. And get this, the service is free.

In addition to providing options for housing, Lise can also provide resources for financing, therapy services, and legal services if those aspects of care are needed.

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A bill that will increase fines from $6,000 to $10,000 for individuals found guilty of placing an elderly person (over age 65) or a dependent adult in a situation where death or great bodily harm is likely has been signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. The bill, which will take effect January 1, 2010, will also increase penalties for those placing seniors in dangerous situations that are not likely to cause death or great bodily harm.

The new law was supported by Sen. Jenny Oropeza, who acknowledged that “Elder abuse for far too long has been a hidden, pervasive and deadly crime where out of 5 million recent cases, a shocking 84 percent went unreported.” Under the new law, she said, “California’s senior citizens and their families will rest easier knowing that my new law will help protect them from abuse.”

Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram

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When Georgia Fitsos was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in 2006, her family came to the sad realization that Georgia could no longer live alone. Too healthy for skilled nursing care, the family chose to place their mother in Broadstone Residential Facility after reading a fancy brochure that promised Georgia “can enjoy a lifestyle of elegance.”

Less than a year after her admission, Georgia’s son found his mother with a big black eye. She told him that someone hit her, but when confronted, the facility said she accidentally hit her face on the table after falling asleep in her wheelchair (Walton Law Firm currently has a very similar case). Only a month later, Georgia’s son found his mother suffering from a shortness of breath. He called 911 because the on-site Broadstone caregiver didn’t speak enough English to make the call.

When Georgia arrived at the Emergency Room doctors were stunned by what they found. A huge, Stage 4 bed sore the size of a “turkey platter” was found on her backside. It had eaten deeply into her flesh, and became infected. The infection quickly turned into sepsis, and Georgia died less than a month later.

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Los Angeles – The death of an 88-year-old nursing home resident has resulted in an AA citation and a $100,000 fine, the most severe penalty that can be imposed by California regulators. The California Department of Public Health issued the penalty after it concluded that nursing home resident’s death was the result of neglect.

According to reports, the resident had received a gastrostomy tube (or g-tube) for feedings on August 29, 2008 and was admitted to Arbor View nursing home on September 3, 2008. The feeding tube became dislodged approximately one week later, and a nurse attempted to reinsert it. Unfortunately, the nurse missed the stomach, and instead inserted the tube into the abdominal cavity. Feedings were then continued.

The next day, the resident was rushed to the hospital with nausea and vomiting, and a scan revealed the problem. She had massive amounts of feeding material in her abdominal cavity that doctors tried to remove. The elderly resident contracted an infection and died shortly there after.

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The Del Rosa Villa nursing home in San Bernardino received the state’s harshest citation after investigators concluded that inadequate care led to a resident’s suicide. The California Department of Public Health issued a AA citation and a fine of $90,000.

According to reports, on June 11, 2009 a 52-year-old resident was found hanging from a fence in the parking lot of the nursing home. He apparently had rolled his wheelchair through a back entrance to the nursing home and into parking lot where he hung himself with a belt

The man’s care plan, which all skilled nursing facilities must maintain for patients, required that he be under suicide watch at all times, and that a nursing assistant admitted to investigators that she made a mistake. It was not the man’s first attempt at suicide. He was in the facility from an acute care hospital where he was admitted after throwing himself in front of a moving vehicle.

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The North County Times had a good column on the cold reality that elder abuse or neglect can happen anywhere. Susan Reichel, CEO of Advanced Home Health Services in San Diego says that an estimated 2 million elderly Americans are victims of elder abuse, whether its physical, mental, emotional, or financial, and it can occur in the home or at a nursing facility.

We, of course, know this. At this law firm, we take legal action against nursing homes and residential care facilities for abuse or neglect all the time. But it’s always worth reminding people that such abuse cases are real and all around us. Remarkably, it is estimated that 84 percent of elder abuse cases go unreported.

The author makes a list of clues to look out for that might be signs of abuse or neglect, and we though it would be helpful to list them here.

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Last Friday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly bill 392, which provides funding for California’s long-term care ombudsman programs. The bill does not restore entirely the cuts that were made last year, but the $1.6 million appropriation to approximately 36 agencies throughout the state will provide sorely needed money to programs that, only weeks ago, were on the brink of dissolution.

“This legislation could make the difference between life and death for nursing home patients facing abuse or neglect. Now patients and their families who depend on the Ombudsman to monitor facilities and investigate key complaints can rest a little easier,” said California Assembly member Mike Feuer.

Last year’s cuts were exemplified in several high profile cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. In June 2009, a nursing home facility owner and a caregiver were arrested on suspicion of criminal abuse and neglect when a resident suffered from pressure sores so severe they led to a fatal infection.

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Researchers analyzing 82 different studies on nursing home care found that nursing homes that are run as not-for-profit businesses offer better care than their for-profit counterparts. In the United States, less that one-third of all nursing homes are non-profit.

The 82 studies were from both the U.S. and Canada, and were completed between 1965 and 1983. Of the studies, 40 showed that non-profit nursing homes provided much better care than for-profits, while only three of the studies found that for-profit nursing homes provided better care. The remainder had mixed findings.

Importantly, the study suggested that non-profit nursing facilities did better in four important quality measures: higher quality staffing, lower rates of pressure ulcers and bed sores, less use of physical restraints, and fewer deficiencies cited by government regulators. Staffing issues, bed sores, and government investigations represent by far the basis for most of the nursing home abuse and neglect litigation in this law firm.

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SANTA BARBARA – Sheriffs have arrested a 35-year-old man in the alleged rape of a 36-year-old developmentally disabled woman. Christopher Coates was arrested last Wednesday and is being held on $100,000 bail.

According to new accounts, Coates was a caregiver at a residential care facility in Santa Barbara County (the name has not been released) in June when police received information from an employee, who told police that the victim had complained of being sexually assaulted. An investigation led to the arrest of Coates, who lives in Goleta, and who was no longer employed at the facility at the time of his arrest.

Under California law, the facility could be held responsible for the sexual assault upon the disable adult. California’s Elder Abuse Act applies equally to “dependent adults,” who are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 64, and who reside in a custodial care facility.

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Unlike nursing homes, residential care facilities or assisted living facilities are not subject to the same regulation and government oversight. One can’t simply log on to the myriad of nursing home evaluation websites to look at the latest inspection reports or complaint investigation. So how do you adequately evaluate a residential care facility before moving in?

The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform provide many excellent resources for individuals and families making the tough choices about custodial care, including an evaluation checklist for those considering residential care:

Review Complaint and Inspection Information: The local office of the California Department of Social Services will have information about the latest government inspection and complaint investigations. Unlike skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities are only inspected every five years so the information may not be fresh. Pay particular attention to any violations of resident’s rights or abuse allegations.

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