With our warm weather and ample outdoor activities, Arizona is a popular destination for older Americans from across the country to retire. It should be a safe place to age and enjoy the golden years. Unfortunately, for too many families, a loved one’s move into a nursing home, assisted living facility, memory care, or rehab center becomes the start of a frightening pattern: Unexplained injuries, rapid decline, medication problems, dehydration, bed sores, falls, or even harm from other residents.
When vulnerable adults are harmed, Arizona law can provide a path to accountability, and O’Steen MacLeod Combs can help. The Arizona Adult Protective Services Act (APSA) provides additional protections and civil remedies when abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurs against adults who depend on others for basic care and safety. APSA is meant to reach the people and businesses that control staffing, policies, supervision, and training – not just the person who happened to be on shift when something went wrong.
APSA Targets “Abuse,” “Neglect,” and “Exploitation”
APSA claims frequently arise from patterns that families recognize immediately: Missed medications, dehydration/malnutrition, unmanaged fall risks, pressure injuries, and failures to protect residents from foreseeable harm. APSA’s framework matters because it recognizes that, for vulnerable adults, harm often does not come from a single dramatic event, but from systemic failures and repeated breakdowns in basic care.
Why These Problems Happen (In Arizona and Across the U.S.)
Quality care is labor-intensive: Turning residents to prevent pressure injuries, monitoring fall-risk residents, helping with meals and hydration, documenting vitals and skin checks, toileting, and promptly responding to call lights. When staffing is thin or staff are poorly trained, preventable harm becomes far more likely.
At the national level, regulators have tried to address this by increasing minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a staffing rule that included a 24/7 RN requirement and minimum hours of nursing care, reflecting how central staffing is to safety. (CMS) But, implementation has been heavily litigated and politically contested, and courts have blocked or struck down parts of the rule in at least some jurisdictions—underscoring how difficult it is to regulate staffing at scale. (Reuters)
Arizona’s large retiree population and fast-growing senior housing market create a high-demand environment, where facilities expand quickly, staffing struggles intensify, and oversight capacity can be stretched. Investigative reporting in Arizona has highlighted troubling patterns in long-term care – including abuse and neglect concerns in assisted living settings, and systemic issues revealed through facility citations and data collection. (Association of Health Care Journalists)
The Corporate Ownership Problem: Mega-Operators and Private Equity Pressure
Across the country, nursing homes and long-term care facilities are increasingly owned or influenced by large corporate chains, complex subsidiary structures, and private equity. A major peer-reviewed national study in JAMA Health Forum found that private equity acquisition of nursing homes was associated with changes in care patterns and outcomes, and the authors concluded that more stringent oversight and reporting on private equity ownership may be warranted. (JAMA Network)
The concern families see on the ground is simple:
- Profits rise when labor costs fall.
- Labor costs fall when staffing is cut, turnover increases, training is reduced, and fewer experienced clinicians are scheduled.
- Residents pay the price.
O’Steen MacLeod Combs attorneys have the expertise, resources, and drive to take on the country’s biggest corporations that profit from exploiting the vulnerable and the elderly.
The Red Flags Families Should Watch For
Here’s a list of some warning signs that the care facility where you or your loved one resides may be negligent and capable of causing serious harm:
- Poor hygiene, unchanged bedding/clothing, foul odors
- Ignored call lights, long delays for toileting assistance
- Repeated “accidents” or falls with vague explanations
- Sudden withdrawal, fearfulness, or unexplained agitation
- Failure to administer medication (or to administer it safely)
- Hospitalizations for preventable complications
- Failure to prevent falls (especially for known fall-risk residents)
- Inadequate supervision during transfers or toileting
- No physical therapy follow-through, missing mobility aids
- Failure to feed and provide fluids (dehydration and malnutrition)
- Bed sores / pressure injuries
- Danger from other residents (resident-on-resident harm)
What To Do If You Suspect Neglect or Abuse
- Get medical care immediately if there are signs of dehydration, infection, head injury, sudden decline, or severe bed sores.
- Document everything: Photos, dates, names, symptoms, hospital discharge papers, and any facility communications.
- Request records in writing: Care plans, incident reports, MARs, wound care notes.
- Consider reporting concerns to appropriate state agencies (and law enforcement if there is immediate danger).
- Talk to counsel early because these cases often turn on records and timelines.
How O’Steen MacLeod Combs Can Help
Nursing home and elder abuse cases are medically complex and hard-fought. They require a team that understands:
- Pressure injury prevention and wound care standards.
- Fall-risk assessments and safety planning.
- Medication administration systems and documentation.
- Staffing expectations and regulatory compliance.
- The way corporate ownership structures can obscure accountability.
O’Steen MacLeod Combs focuses on holding care facilities accountable when preventable harm occurs. If you suspect neglect, medication failures, falls due to missing precautions, dehydration/malnutrition, bed sores, or resident-on-resident injury, we can evaluate whether the facts support a claim and explain the next steps.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts and the applicable law.