Nursing homes in California should take note of the negative publicity surrounding elder abuse and assisted-living facilities in our state. A recent article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel described serious nursing home abuse allegations that point to fraudulent Medicare claims and poor patient treatment. In Watsonville, located in Santa Cruz County, the…
A recent article in the Sacramento Bee reported on an attorney in the northern California area who was charged with financial elder abuse. At the Walton Law Firm, we take elder financial abuse very seriously. As an Elder Justice Advocate, Randy Walton is committed to protecting older Americans from crimes such the ones…
History of the Star Rating System A recent New York Times article discussed the danger of trusting the Medicare star rating system, providing as an example a five-star nursing home facility in California with a history of elder neglect violations. Last week, we discussed the star rating system and the Rosewood nursing…
Five-Star Nursing Homes May Not the Best Indicator of Care Are Medicare star ratings good predictors for the quality of care at nursing homes? According to a recent article in the New York Times, a facility with a five-star rating may not be what one would expect. In fact, many five-star…
Many of us have heard about assisted living facility reforms pending before the California legislature, as well as those aimed specifically at residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs). But are those reforms sufficient to ensure that California seniors are safe from elder abuse? According to a recent story from KQED’s State of…
It’s no secret that California assisted living facilities have been in the national news due to reports of nursing home abuse and neglect. Indeed, over the last year, elder rights advocates have emphasized the need to make information about nursing homes and assisted living facilities readily available to older adults…
Southern California Insurance Agent Charged with Financial Abuse Elder abuse comes in many forms, from physical violence to financial fraud. A recent article in Consumer Affairs reported that a licensed insurance agent in Southern California was recently arrested fo elder financial abuse. The insurance agent, John Paul Slawinski, 59, was…
When our elderly loved ones require care at a nursing home or assisted living facility, we need to balance the costs of a facility with the quality of care we know they’ll be receiving. It’s necessary to remember that nursing home abuse and neglect can occur at even the most…
A Booming Hospice Industry in America Did you know that about half of all Medicare patients who die “will do so as a hospice patient”? According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, just ten years ago only about 25 percent of all Medicare patients died in hospice care.…
Many of us in the San Diego area have seen commercials for liquid nutritional supplements, particularly those marketed toward older adults. According to a story in the New York Times, these bottles have become “staples in older people’s refrigerators, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and in hospitals.” As…