Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer California Blog

The rate of questionable transfers of end-stage dementia patients from nursing homes to hospitals has raised flags for public health researchers at Brown University.

After analyzing Medicare records of approximately 475,000 patients, the team, led by Dr. Joan Teno, M.D., found that nearly 20 percent of dementia patients were transferred from their nursing homes into hospitals for questionable reasons. More

Each year, it is estimated that 1 out of 3 adults ages 65 and older falls. Falls are the leading cause of injuries that result in death. In nursing home residents, falls are the leading cause of injury.

Even when the fall does not result in injury, most elderly people who fall develop an acute fear of falling again.

Elderly nursing home residents are at a high risk for fall-related injury because with their aging comes numerous physical changes, including: More

The family of 29-year-old Violet Townsend was shocked and appalled to learn that she was being sexually abused at her long term care nursing facility.

After noticing blood on the seat of Violet’s wheelchair, her parents rushed her to a nearby hospital. Hospital staff confirmed that her injuries were consistent with a sexual assault. Violet also had been infected with a sexually transmitted disease.

A 2006 car accident left Violet with a severe brain injury, leaving her dependent on life support and incapable of any physical movement or of speech. Obviously Townsend did not consent to sex. More

In an illegal, but growing, new trend, nursing home residents are returning from emergency hospital stays only to find that they are denied re-admittance into their long-term care nursing home facility.

Left homeless, many are then forced to seek attorney representation and wait in the hospital until a new placement can be found. This often has devastating effects on the elderly person’s physical and mental health.

Residents dependent on Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California), are particularly vulnerable to eviction. Medicaid (or Medi-Cal) pay nursing homes as little as half the amount of money that a long-term care facility gets from private insurance or Medicare or from residents who pay out-of-pocket. Those long-term care facilities that put profits over people, look for reasons to evict lower paying residents. More

Theft in nursing homes is always a concern, but a band of burglars has taken it to a new level, hitting long-term care facilities in six states.

An organized gang of thieves – believed to be all male – dress as female nurses and walk into nursing homes when residents are typically out of their rooms, such as during dinner. The “nurses” hit residents’ rooms, taking credit cards.

So far the thieves have hit hundreds of nursing home residents. Typically charging purchases at such stores as Wal-Mart and Kmart, police estimate these fraudulent purchases to be anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000. More