Elder Financial Abuse – Undue Influence • AB 140 (Dickinson) In determining whether the outcome was produced by undue influence, the vulnerability of the victim, the influencer’s apparent authority, the actions or tactics used by the influencer, and the equity of the result shall be considered. Effective January 1, 2014. Military Endorsements Advertising – Elder Financial Abuse • SB 272 (Corbett) prohibit any nongovernmental entity to use a seal or emblem to imply any connection or endorsement of any federal or state military, veteran or Veterans Service Organization (VSO), without approval, for the purpose of financial gain.
2008-2011
The RCFE Residents Foreclosure Protection Act of 2011 • SB 897 (Leno) requires RCFE licensees to notify the Department of Social Services and the facility residents and their representatives when the facility is in financial distress such as foreclosure or bankruptcy. It provides for civil penalties and loss of licensure when a facility fails to notify residents and a resident is subsequently relocated and suffers transfer trauma.
2003-2007
Elder Financial Restitution Act • SB 611 (Steinberg) extends the ability to freeze the assets of a perpetrator of financial abuse against an elder or dependent adult in order to create an opportunity for the victim to regain property. Effective January 1, 2008. RCFE Relocation Protection Act • AB 949 (Krekorian) provides relocation protections for residents when a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly closes such as 60 day notice, individualized relocation plan, plan approval by licensing for facilities with 7 or more beds, refund of some preadmission fees, and a private right of action.
2001-2003
RCFE Special Services • SB 540 (Soto) requires a facility that advertises or promotes special care, programming or environments for residents with a health related condition to provide an accurate narrative description of these programs and services. Effective January 1, 2004. RCFE Admission Agreements • SB 211 (Dunn) requires all RCFE admission agreements to include detailed explanations of fees and services, explanations of billing and payment, information regarding residents’ rights, and makes copies of the agreement available to the public.
1997-2000
Senior Fraud Protection Act of 2000 • AB 2107 (Scott) establishes duty of honesty, good faith and fair dealing for insurance transaction involving elders; establishes protections from the sale and marketing of annuities for the purposes of long term care planning; and amends the fiduciary abuse laws to protect elders and dependent adults. Effective January 1, 2001.
1988-1996
Nursing Home Ownership Disclosure • SB 1649 (Mello) amends the law to require nursing home ownership disclosure changes to be disclosed at the annual renewal and makes this information available to the public. Effective January 1, 1997. Liens on Homes of Nursing Home Residents and Surviving Spouses • SB 412 (Marks) eliminates the ability to impose liens on the homes of nursing home residents or the surviving spouses of deceased residents who received Medi-Cal.
1985-1988
Medi-Cal Notice • SB 69 (Mello) requires nursing homes to provide every resident or applicant and their representative a notice of spousal impoverishment and Medi-Cal rights. Effective January 1, 1988. Transfer Trauma • AB 2196 (Friedman) establishes policies to reduce transfer trauma when nursing home residents are being transferred to another facility. These policies must include a medical assessment of the patient’s condition, counseling services, evaluation of relocation needs, 30 day advance notice, and appropriate arrangements for future medical care.
Column: How did a home built for Japanese American seniors become the state’s deadliest nursing facility?
This article is related to AB 279 (Muratsuchi), sponsored by CANHR. By Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, March 1 2021 A wave of coronavirus infections and deaths hit the Kei-Ai Los Angeles Healthcare Center over the holidays. It has recorded at least 97 COVID-19 deaths. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Tracy and her family agonized over moving her grandmother from the nursing facility in Boyle Heights where she had lived comfortably for four years, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
1984-1987
Receivership Reform • SB 1220 (Mello) expands the powers and duties of a receiver when a nursing home is in receivership; disallows certain debts. Effective January 1, 1987. Responsible Parties • AB 3943 (Agnos) prohibits nursing homes from requiring a responsible party to sign the admission agreement as a condition of admission. Effective January 1, 1987.
Sakura Gardens retirement home, a last vestige of Japanese American Boyle Heights, faces partial closure
This article is related to AB 279 (Muratsuchi), sponsored by CANHR. By Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, February 6, 2021 Laura Morita Bethel directs traffic during a protest at the Sakura Gardens intermediate care facility.(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) Kotoko Toji has lived in Los Angeles since the 1950s but speaks little English. When it came time to move to a retirement home 15 years ago, she had a request: Sakura Gardens.
Dying Californians suffer harm and neglect from an industry meant to comfort them
This article is related to SB 664, Supported by CANHR. By Kim Christensen and Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, March 9 2021 A well-worn office building on Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys is home to more than a dozen hospice providers. Los Angeles County hospices have multiplied sixfold in the last decade and now account for more than half of the state’s roughly 1,200 Medicare-certified providers.
End-of-life care has boomed in California. So has fraud targeting older Americans
This article is related to SB 664, Supported by CANHR. Ellie Craig Goldstein holds a pouch containing sentimental items from her brother, Peter Craig. Three years after Peter’s death, his sisters Ellie and Joyce Craig are haunted by the memory of his final hours. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) By Kim Christensen, Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, December 9 2020 Martin Huff was 67 when he fell off his bicycle, banged up his knee and spent a couple of hours in a Riverside County emergency room before walking out under his own power.
What you need to know if you or a loved one requires end-of-life care
This article is related to SB 664, Supported by CANHR. By Ben Poston, Kim Christensen, Los Angeles Times, December 9 2020 An office building on Victory Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley is home to several hospice providers.(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Conceived as an end-of-life option for terminally ill patients, hospices provide palliative care, medications, nursing services and counseling for those diagnosed with six months or less to live.