NEW FLASH TODAY –
SAN FRANCISCO- Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center has received the state’s most severe citation and fine after the California Department of Health Services determined that the poor care of an 82-year-old resident led to her death.
State Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton announced Monday that the skilled nursing facility in San Francisco received the ominous “AA” citation and a $100,000 fine after the investigation into the Oct. 30 death of a resident with dementia.
The woman, who had a history of falling and wandering out of the facility, was found unresponsive on the ground in a small garden, where she was pronounced dead by a physician. The coroner’s report did not specify the cause of the fall.
The Department of Health Services said Monday that facility managers failed to review, evaluate, update and implement a care plan for the resident. The facility also failed to control the resident’s history of wandering outside, the department reported.

Are you surprised that a resident could get out? Make it all the way outside with no one noticing? Don’t be – there was a Va. case this fall – where a resident actually fell down a huge hill after eloping – 1.4 million verdict. We get calls frequently from families re: their loved ones – found outside, in the parking lot, fallen down stairwells – its a real problem. Dan this week blogged about “wandering” risks or elopement risks. If your loved one wanders (especially a risk for dementia) – TELL THE FACILITY TO KEEP AN EYE OUT!