Who looks out for aging Californians who do not have relatives our outside caregivers to keep an eye out for the signs of elder abuse? The California State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is in place to make sure that older adults receive proper care in long-term care facilities across the…
Elder abuse is much too common across the country, and nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in California have proven particularly prominent offenders of nursing home abuse and neglect. What do we need to prevent elder abuse in our state? Many elder rights supporters believe that policy changes might help, and…
Changes are on the way for nursing homes and California assisted living facilities. In the midst of shifts to the law, victims of nursing home abuse are filing a class action lawsuit against the owner of 57 skilled nursing facilities in the state, according to an article from Courthouse News…
New Bill Raises Penalties for Elder Abuse and Neglect Is the state of California taking seriously the problems with nursing home abuse and elder neglect at assisted-living facilities? According to a recent article in UT San Diego, Governor Jerry Brown just signed into law a bill that will impose “a…
Are nursing homes in California abiding by federal regulations for reporting allegations of elder abuse or neglect? According to a recent report released by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), not all facilities are reporting incidents of nursing home abuse. Reporting…
A recent article in the Examiner alleges that Scott Phipps of Phisco Fiduciary committed elder abuse against a senior conservatee, Elinor Frerichs. Elder advocates argue that Scott Phipps kept Frerichs “confined and isolated” at Lakeside Park, her assisted living facility in Oakland. If true, the fiduciary may have violated the…
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…