Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

July 25, 2025

Assessing Fall Risks in Riverside County Nursing Homes

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 22, 2025

A Life of Advocacy and Reflection: Celebrating Sandy Horowitz’s Journey

by Walton Law Firm

In April 2020, Plaintiff Magazine featured a heartfelt and deeply personal article by elder abuse attorney Sanford Horowitz, known to friends and colleagues simply as Sandy. Written during the first week of COVID-19 lockdowns, the piece is part professional reflection, part life story, and all about the passion that has defined Sandy’s decades-long career fighting for the rights of vulnerable elders.

Sandy begins by looking back on his earlier articles for Plaintiff Magazine — one that explored the unique stories behind every elder abuse case, and another that shared his personal journey navigating his father’s decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s. Six years after his father’s passing, Sandy found himself once again in a contemplative state, reflecting not only on his work but on the twists and turns of life.

From the start, Sandy took a less conventional path as a lawyer. After a short stint at a San Francisco law firm, he chose to set up his own practice in Sonoma, far from the hustle of the big city. That decision wasn’t just about work; it was about living in harmony with nature and focusing on what truly mattered — family, community, and a meaningful life. Over the past 25 years, he has built a career around prosecuting long-term care corporations for neglecting the elderly, a cause that he calls both challenging and profoundly rewarding.

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 25, 2025

California Attorney General Sues Skilled Nursing Chain for Systemic Neglect and Fraud

by Walton Law Firm

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against Sweetwater Care, a San Diego-based operator of 19 skilled nursing facilities across the state, for gross violations of elder care standards. The lawsuit, filed under California’s Unfair Competition Law, alleges that Sweetwater endangered vulnerable residents by repeatedly failing to meet the state’s minimum staffing requirements—leading to widespread neglect, abuse, and even physical injuries.

The lawsuit follows a sweeping investigation by the California Department of Justice’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA), which uncovered a disturbing pattern of misconduct at Sweetwater facilities between 2020 and 2024. According to the findings, Sweetwater violated minimum staffing laws more than 14,000 times, placing elderly and disabled residents in harm’s way.

The consequences of this understaffing were severe:

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?

June 6, 2025

Understanding Abuse and Neglect at San Bernardino County Memory Care Facilities

by Walton Law Firm

Memory care facilities, like other assisted living facilities, are supposed to provide quality care to the residents who reside in these places. Yet, much too often, elderly residents of memory care facilities who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia sustain injuries and other forms of harm due to abuse and neglect. What do you need to know about abuse and neglect at Southern California memory care facilities? Consider the following information from our San Bernardino County nursing home neglect lawyer.

What is Dementia and Why Do Seniors Require Memory Care Assistance?

Why do seniors need to live in memory care facilities? In general, memory care facilities are intended for older adults with forms of dementia.

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?

May 9, 2025

Cameras in California Eldercare Facilities

by Walton Law Firm

Is it a good thing if there are more cameras in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in Orange County and throughout Southern California? According to a recent article in The New York Times, cameras are becoming more prevalent in eldercare facilities across the country — both in common areas as well as in residents’ rooms. As that article emphasizes, this issue of cameras in private and semi-private rooms in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities “remains a contentious subject,” yet it is a practice that is “gaining ground” across the country.

What should you know about cameras in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in Southern California if you have an elderly loved one residing in one of these places? Our Orange County nursing home neglect attorneys can tell you more.

More States Allowing Cameras in Nursing Homes, Including California

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?