seniors

June 24 1961, is the date Susan married her now deceased husband, Harry "Punky" McClellan. The photos were put together by daughter Coreen during the time her father was residing in a nursing home. Susan recently strung the photos together and placed them in her bedroom, "this keeps me sane," McClellan says. Dec 4, 2021. Photo by Julie Leopo for CalMatters

Health

The case of the vanishing fine: How a massive nursing home penalty eluded consumer detection

A Fresno nursing home was fined more than $900,000 in 2018 for poor patient care, but consumers have been hard-pressed to find any public record of the massive penalty or many other big fines.

By

Jocelyn Wiener

• December 15, 2021

A nursing home related illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

Health

From maggots to sex abuse, nursing homes sue California to overturn citations, fines

California nursing homes have filed more than 400 lawsuits since 2016 to appeal state citations and fines alleging poor patient care. Regulators downgraded nearly a third of sanctions involving a death. Advocates say the appeals system favors nursing homes.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• December 6, 2021

Rick Moran, kneeling, who lost his wife, Georgina, a hospital phlebotomist, to COVID-19 last year, holds a framed photo of her as he is comforted by his colleague Wallace Pippen during an event held to honor health care workers and those who lost loved ones to the virus at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton on May 10, 2021. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Coronavirus

As California reopens, 6 things you need to know about COVID-19

Around 1,000 Californians are still newly infected every day, hospitalizations have hit a new low, people of color remain at high risk and almost half of eligible people aren’t fully vaccinated.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• June 14, 2021

Commentary

This is the moment to reform senior care

The pandemic proved the value of programs that help seniors stay in their homes and out of long-term care facilities. The Legislature should expand them.

By

Guest Commentary

• June 2, 2021

Health

‘People are dying as we wait’: Bid to tighten California nursing home oversight sputters

Lawmakers say they'll take no action this year on a bill requiring nursing home owners and operators to get state approval before they acquire, operate or manage a nursing home.

By

Jocelyn Wiener

• April 16, 2021

Larry Yabroff and his wife Mary greet each other during a visit at Chaparral House, the skilled nursing facility where Mary is a resident, in Berkeley on Feb. 25, 2021. The Yabroff’s have been married for more than 50 years but have been living separately since Larry had to place Mary in the care facility in February of last year. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Coronavirus

When will nursing homes reopen to visitors? State officials won’t say

COVID-19 cases at California’s nursing homes have plummeted 98% since December. But long-term care facilities say they are waiting for state guidance before reopening to family visits. “The sacrifice our seniors have made has been very, very difficult and caused a lot of harm. Now is the time to stop sacrificing them," one doctor said.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• March 1, 2021

Patients enter Levi’s Stadium to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 9 2021 in Santa Clara. The 49ers arena opened on Tuesday as a vaccine distribution site for Santa Clara County residents 65 and older and is expected to inoculate up to 15,000 people per day once supplies become available. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Coronavirus

California shifts vaccine priorities again: People with health conditions are eligible next month

Under the new state guidelines, people ages 16 to 64 with chronic, high-risk conditions and disabilities will join older Californians, food workers and educators. But not until March 15.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• February 12, 2021

Katherine Ambrose, RN and medical reserve corps member, looks on as Army medic Jenny Rafailov, left, fills a syringe at the COVID vaccination site at Cal Expo in Sacramento on Jan. 21, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Inside California’s major shift in vaccine strategy

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, January 27. State takes reins Six weeks into a vaccine rollout largely left to the counties, California is taking the helm in an attempt to streamline a chaotic and fragmented process that has resulted in one of the nation’s lowest rates of vaccine administration. The new strategy, which state health […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• January 27, 2021

California Gov. Gavin Newsom outlines his 2021-2022 state budget proposal during a news conference in Sacramento, Jan. 8, 2021. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo/Pool

WhatMatters

Newsom’s reopening about-face raises questions

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, January 26. Data remains murky Monday was a day of coronavirus whiplash for many Californians as state health officials abruptly lifted the regional stay-at-home order and Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a major shift in the state’s vaccine plan. All but four counties are now in the purple tier of California’s […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• January 26, 2021

Ann Lucero teaches her mother, Fern, how to use her new tablet at their home in Redwood City. She's among millions of California's family caregivers whose efforts are made even more stressful by the COVID pandemic. Photo by Clara Mokri

Health

‘How am I going to keep this up?’ COVID intensifies plight of family caregivers

The pandemic has made a stressful task only harder for the 4.7 million Californias who care for a relative or close friend over the age of 50.

By

Anne Marshall-Chalmers

• January 21, 2021

Seniors