Articles Tagged with San Diego nursing home abuse attorney

September 17, 2014

Northern California Nursing Home Sued for Overmedicating Residents

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 owners of two nursing homes are facing a lawsuit. According to the report, federal prosecutors sued the owners “alleging that leaders made fraudulent Medicare claims” and “persistently and severely overmedicated elderly and vulnerable residents.”

Overmedication and Fraud Allegations

The two nursing homes at issue are Country Villa Watsonville Easy Nursing Center and Country Villa Watsonville West Nursing Center, both in Santa Cruz County. The owners have been linked to serious crimes connected to nursing home abuse and neglect.

September 3, 2014

Behind the Medicare Star Rating System

by Walton Law Firm

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 home in the Sacramento area. In sum, the rating system is not helping consumers in the way it claims. How did this rating system rise to prominence, and why are so many Americans willing to trust it without additional investigation?

According to the article, the five-star rating system began in 2007, when Oregon Senator Ron Wyden posed the following question at a congressional hearing: why is it easier to shop for washing machines than to select a nursing home? Two years later, Medicare officials developed the star rating system, “a move that was applauded by consumer groups, who hope that more transparency would lead to greater accountability.”

August 27, 2014

Medicare Star Ratings and Quality of Care

by Walton Law Firm

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 facilities have received fines for injuries related to nursing home neglect.

Rosewood Post-Acute Rehab, a nursing home located in a Sacramento suburb, received a five-star rating from Medicare. The nursing home “bears all the touches of a luxury hotel, including high ceilings, leather club chairs, and paintings of bucolic landscapes.” According to the article, getting a five-star rating—the highest possible—is not easy. Only about one-fifth of all nursing home in the U.S., about 3,000 total, hold this distinction.

July 3, 2014

Summer Webinars on Dementia and Caring for the Elderly

by Walton Law Firm

Collaboration on Dementia Awareness and Abuse

Do you have a parent who currently suffers from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? These degenerative brain diseases are difficult not only on patients, but also on their family members and caregivers. In response to elder abuse advocates’ concerns about educating and empowering family members of those with dementia, a number of organizations have teamed up to provide a series of “webinars” this summer.

According to a recent press release from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the ACL will join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in hosting a series of three webinars in July, August, and September. The organizations have collaborated in order to “increase knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia,” as well as to provide “resources that professionals in the public health, aging services, and research networks can use to inform, educate, and empower community members.” More education about the risks associated with dementia care can help family members and caregivers to quickly spot and report signs of elder abuse.

June 26, 2014

Elder Abuse Awareness and San Diego County’s Aging Summit

by Walton Law Firm

Global and Local Awareness About Aging and Elder Abuse

Earlier this month, San Diego County’s Aging Summit, which focused on Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving issues, occurred just as the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) and the Administration on Aging launched the eighth “World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.” The two projects represent both global and local initiatives to educate family members, caregivers, and the public generally about important issues that older adults face today, as well as the prevalence and risk factors for elder abuse.

Nursing home abuse and neglect is an important issue in California, particularly as we await potential changes to the law surrounding residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs). At the same time, however, elder abuse is a nationwide—and indeed, a worldwide—concern that affects us all. If you have questions about how you can help an older adult who has sustained injuries because of elder abuse, don’t hesitate to speak to an experienced San Diego elder justice advocate.

June 18, 2014

Criminal Record Disclosure and Effects on California Nursing Home Services

by Walton Law Firm

A recent article in Reuters reported that the mayor of Los Angeles has declared his support for “a new state law barring public agencies from refusing job applications from people convicted of a crime.” But could such a law place residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities at greater risk of nursing home abuse and neglect?

No Outright Criminal Background Checks for Employees?

The California law isn’t intended to put California residents at risk, but rather to encourage social rehabilitation. According to Reuters, Garcetti’s support of the law comes with a deep concern “that millions of people who have been to prison, particularly from minority communities, have little prospect of landing a job once they admit to a conviction.” The law isn’t just for nursing homes or other care facilities for older adults. Rather, it’s part of a larger movement to make criminal background checks less of a priority at the start of an interviewing process at many public agencies across the state of California.

May 22, 2014

Blood Pressure Drugs and Dangerous Falls Among Older Adults

by Walton Law Firm

When nursing home neglect happens, elderly patients can sustain serious and life-threatening injuries. But a recent article in the New York Times suggests that care facilities may need to pay particular attention to residents who take high blood pressure medication. What’s going on with blood pressure medication? In short, patients who take these drugs might be much more likely to suffer injuries in a dangerous fall. And, according to the article, “more than 70 percent of those over age 70 contend with high blood pressure.”

Has your elderly loved one sustained injuries in a fall? Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have a duty to keep residents safe, and many advocates in California currently are working to make RCFEs safer places for residents. Don’t hesitate to discuss your case with an experienced San Diego nursing home abuse lawyer. At the Walton Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping victims of elder abuse, and we can answer your questions today.

New Study: Link Between High Blood Pressure and Serious Fall Injuries

May 16, 2014

Higher Penalties for Assisted Living Facilities

by Walton Law Firm

Senate Bill Could Impose Tougher Penalties

With the serious elder abuse problems in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) that have been coming to light in recent months, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to California residents that a new senate bill aims to “give California regulators the power to impose tougher penalties,” according to an article in Westport News.

What is this legislation? The bill, SB1153, would provide the California Department of Social Services (DSS) greater authority over care facilities that break the law. According to another article in the San FranciscoChronicle, the bill would allow the California DSS to “ban new admissions to residential care facilities for the elderly that fail to correct serious health and safety violations.” And when RCFEs fail to pay their fines, the SB1153 would allow regulators with DSS to “block admissions to facilities.”

April 30, 2014

Elder Abuse and Educating Caregivers

by Walton Law Firm

Helping Caregivers to Help the Elderly through Education

How can caregivers best spot patterns of elder abuse after their loved ones return from medical appointments or adult daycare? And how should caregivers handle older adults who act abusively toward medical staff or other persons involved in their care and treatment? According to a recent news report from Aging Today, a bimonthly newspaper published by the American Society on Aging, elderly caregivers in America aren’t provided with sufficient education about elder abuse.

The news report recently made it into the hands of Californians with the help of the Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect. The Center, housed at the University of California, Irvine, seeks to bridge the academic side of elder neglect with important issues of medical and legal practice. In addition to conducting research, the Center aims to provide education to California residents and other community members by hosting the Elder Abuse Training Institute, which “identifies the most pressing training needs in elder mistreatment.” The educational programs are interdisciplinary, moving among medical, sociological, and legal issues.

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