Family sues skilled nursing facility after death of 86-year-old. $30M. Sacramento County.

Facts and Background

• Facts and Background:

  86-year-old Sam Rios, Jr. was a patient for two weeks in April of 2017 at the skilled nursing facility known as Pine Creek Care Center in Roseville, located in the greater Sacramento area. Mr. Rios had been admitted for short-term rehabilitation after a fall, hip fracture and surgical repair of same..

  Mr. Rios was transferred to the facility after a stay at a Kaiser Permanente hospital. When he was admitted, he was wearing heel protectors as he was noted to be at high risk for breakdown of the skin on his heels.

  Mr. Rios’s widow and his eight adult children filed suit against the facility and its corporate overseers alleging claims for elder abuse and neglect, constructive fraud, violation of patient’s rights and wrongful death based on pressure sores that were discovered after Mr. Rios was discharged from the facility.

• Plaintiff's Contentions:

  Plaintiffs contended that 86-year-old Sam Rios, Jr., was severely neglected during his two weeks as a patient at defendants' skilled nursing facility, Pine Creek Care Center in April of 2017. That he should have been repositioned every two hours to prevent pressure ulcers, but was repositioned only once during his two-week stay. Plaintiffs also contended the facility failed to implement other standardly required interventions to prevent skin breakdown on Mr. Rios’ heels, including floating of the heels, regularly inspecting the skin, placing him on a low air loss mattress, and using the heel protectors that had already been provided by Kaiser Permanente hospital.  

  As a result, Mr. Rios developed two unstageable heel pressure sores, one of which was discovered to be a "to-the-bone" Stage IV pressure sore that he had to live with until he died in March of 2018.

  Plaintiffs contended the main reason for the extreme failures in the care of Mr. Rios was understaffing at the facility by its owners and corporate overseers, Plum Healthcare Group, LLC and Bay Bridge Capital Partners, LLC. Plaintiffs further maintained the understaffing was the result of financial pressure by private equity GI Partners, LLC, in San Francisco, which was the largest owner of the Plum nursing home chain at the time.

• Defendant's Contentions:

  Defendants contended that plaintiff was admitted to defendants' facility with blanchable redness to his bilateral heels and coccyx and discharged home with blanchable redness to his bilateral heels and coccyx. During his stay at Pine Creek, plaintiff received 11 sessions of physical therapy, 10 sessions of occupational therapy and assistance with his ADLs. He was seen three times by his attending physician, who made no changes to his care plan and he was seen once by his orthopedic physician’s assistant.

  Fifty hours after discharge, an unstageable wound was discovered on his right heel and a stage 2 wound was discovered on his left heel.

  Further, defendants contended that plaintiff's family failed to mobilize him and to float his heels while home. His left heel wound resolved. His right heel wound continued to deteriorate due to plaintiff's significant comorbidities including severe atherosclerosis. Defendants contended plaintiff died 11 months after discharge due to respiratory failure and heart attack. 

  Defendants denied all plaintiffs' contentions as to liability and causation.