One nurse twisted a patient’s jaw until he screamed. Another grabbed an elderly man by the shoulders and slammed him against a mattress. Our 70-year-old client was punched in the face by an angry nurse while giving our client a bath. Charles Ornstein of the LA Times is out with…
Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Civil Rights Lawsuits Against Nursing Homes Given Green Light
The U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit has ruled that the Federal Nursing Home Reform Amendments grants residents of county-operated nursing homes the right to bring civil rights claims for allegations of abuse, neglect, or other care-related complaints. The ruling arose in a case involving the 80-year-old Melvinteen Daniels, who…
Only a Fraction of Nursing Home Fines Collected
Every year, nursing homes throughout the state of California are fined for deficiencies found in state investigations, frequently related to nursing home care. The fines range anywhere from a Class B fine of $1,000 to an AA citation of $100,000, as was recently issued against the Encinitas nursing home Aviara…
Elderly Population to Triple by 2050
By 2050, 1 is 6 people in the world will be 65 or older, forcing the countries of the world deal with an aging population. The number of senior has jumped an astounding 23 percent in the last decade. According to studies, the world’s population has been graying for decades…
Encinitas Nursing Home Issued Class AA Citation
State investigators issued a $100,000 fine to nursing home Aviara Healthcare Center in Encinitas after finding that a resident’s death was caused by neglect. The resident died of blunt force trauma after a fall. According to reports, the resident was at the nursing home to rehabilitate a broken hip, and…
Los Angeles Nursing Home Fined For Resident Death
A Westlake nursing home called Lakewood Manor North was issued the state’s most severe fine after an 83-year-old resident died in January 2007. According to reports, the patient, who was totally dependent on staff, lost his balance and fell when he was being transferred to his wheelchair, striking his head…
Number of Nursing Home Beds Declining
A report published by the National Nursing Home Survey finds that between 1999 and 2004 the number of nursing home beds and nursing home residents declined in the United States. The number of nursing home beds dropped more than 10%, or 200,000 beds, and there are approximately 100,000 fewer nursing…
Orange County Nursing Homes Fined After Deaths
The California Department of Public Health has issued fines to two Orange County nursing homes after concluding that negligent nursing care lead to the deaths of two residents. Alamitos West Health Care Center in Los Alamitos was fined $100,000.00, and Huntington Valley Healthcare in Huntington Beach was fined $80,000.00. Investigators…
Southern California Nursing Home Citation Report
This list contains the issuance of citations to Southern California nursing facilities by the California Department of Public Health over the last six months. All the citations listed are issued for reasons related to patient care. For verification of the citation, please contact the local department office or Walton Law…
Family Councils Can Promote Better Nursing Home Care
California law allows the creation of “family councils” by relative of a nursing home resident to help influence the quality of care given to a resident. Not merely gripe sessions, these councils can facilitate communications between families and residents with the nursing home staff and caregivers, and also offer peer…