Residents'
Rights Protection Campaign:
Sample Cases of Abuse and Neglect in California's Nursing Homes
Case #102: Nursing Home Neglect in Marin County
January 20, 2003
Astrid L., aged 91, was moved from an assisted-living environment to a nursing
facility in Mill Valley in 1995 on her doctor's referral. Her daughter
said she was initially doing well, but then the facility changed ownership,
and the quality of care declined markedly. Medication was often haphazard
or missing entirely, and health services generally deteriorated.
Within a year, all the residents were given a 30-day notice to vacate the
premises. Astrid was separated from her roommate with whom she had a warm
and supporting relationship, and from a setting in which she felt comfortable.
She was moved to another nursing home in Daly City, but suffered from "transfer
trauma" in the course of the transition, and stopped communicating with
her daughter or showing any interest in food. She grew weak, did not respond
to treatment, and died at age 91 within six months of her move.
