Gwen D. Hughes, a former California nursing home director, was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in state prison for inappropriately medicating patients at a Kern County nursing home. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Hughes was originally charged in the deaths of three patients. Hughes however pleaded no contest…
Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Strict Screening for All Nursing Home Employees
According to the Orange County Register, local officials believe that a 28-year-old Riverside resident named David Moreno may have assaulted numerous victims while working as a maintenance worker at Emeritus Senior Living in Yorba Linda. Officials are asking if anyone has information regarding the matter, to please contact the Orange…
Quality of Life
One of the rights addressed in the Nursing Home Residents’ Bill of Rights relates to the Quality of Life in the nursing home. An individual’s quality of life should not be diminished because he or she resides in a nursing home. Now, an individual’s opportunities to engage in all of…
Know Your Rights: Money
A resident of a nursing home is no different than any other citizen in the United States when it comes to his or her rights and protections. Living in a nursing facility does not mean you give up your rights despite the new and oftentimes more controlled environment, as opposed…
Lawsuit Takes Aim at State Regulators and Nursing Home Management
Glendale attorney, Russ Balisok, alleges on behalf of his clients California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, in a new lawsuit, that state regulators allow nursing home companies to siphon money away from patient care and send it to the wallets of the corporations that manage the facilities. Current state law…
Former Head Nurse to Stand Trial for Felony Elder Abuse
An article in The Modesto Bee reported yesterday that Donna Darlene Palmer, former head nurse at a Placerville nursing home, will stand trial for felony elder abuse. Palmer and Rebecca Smith are the two nurses criminally charged by the California Attorney General for their involvement in the death of a…
To Protect and Defraud?
The Mercury News recently reported that a former commander in the Pinole Police Department, and his wife, have been charged with trying to defraud an 82-year-old Pleasanton woman. Matthew Messier, the 36-year-old former police commander was charged with several crimes including four counts of elder abuse. Messier and his wife…
Somebody Call 911!
Families with loved ones in adult care facilities are pushing for new legislation that will affect how the facilities handle missing patient situations according to a recent article in the Mercury News. The legislation is not up for a vote yet, but if enacted, the law will require care facilities…
Elder Abuse Investigations: Coming Soon to a Care Center Near You
The California State Attorney General, Kamala D. Harris, has plans to “aggressively” pursue and build more criminal cases against nursing homes as reported in The Sacramento Bee. Much of the article is discussed within the backdrop of Don Esco’s story. Mr. Esco recently died at the age of 82. The…
Protection from an Abusive Caregiver
Dealing with abusive behavior from an in-home caregiver is a nightmare scenario for the victims and their loved ones. In previous blog posts, we discussed issues surrounding the selection of at home caregivers, but sometimes nefarious individuals slip through the cracks. In certain situations, firing an in-home caregiver suspected of…