A City of Pasadena effort to take local action where possible to maintain required standards at long-term care facilities
and advocate for improved regulation by state and county agencies.
Long-term care facilities are entrusted with the responsibility of providing a safe, supportive environment for residents to live and receive necessary care. In Pasadena, there are approximately 1,000 individuals living in 12 nursing homes and over 2,300 individuals living in nearly 100 assisted living/residential care facilities. The City of Pasadena does not license, regulate or operate these privately-owned facilities. The facilities are regulated by the state, and the level of care they provide is a key factor in residents’ quality of life.
The health and safety of this medically-vulnerable population is dependent on the quality of health care provided by for-profit facility operators and their staff, and the ability of their licensing agencies—including the California Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division and Los Angeles County Health Facilities Inspection Division—to license, inspect, cite and regulate them.
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in the United States, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living facilities (ALFs), are populated by older adults and adults needing residential care for underlying medical conditions. ALF residents generally require a limited amount of care, such as help getting dressed or assistance with medications, whereas SNF residents have acute or chronic health conditions, or both, that require 24-hour onsite medical care and often rehabilitative care and therapy.
Mission
Long-term care residents are valued members of the Pasadena community. The mission of PEDAL is to improve the quality of life for elders and dependent adults residing in long term care facilities through education, community outreach, code enforcement, and prosecution.
PEDAL is a cross-departmental working group that includes representation from the City Manager’s Office, Public Health, Fire, Police, City Prosecutor's Office, Planning and Community Development, Long Term Care Ombudsman’s Office and Huntington Hospital.
PEDAL has already completed several coordinated inspections, escalating operational deficiencies to regulatory agencies and is actively addressing enforceable violations. Work is also underway for outreach and education via multiple media channels.
Everyone deserves to live a life free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and misappropriation of their property. If you have questions or concerns about elder abuse, help is available.
- If you or someone you know is experiencing elder abuse, call Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241.
- For anonymous and confidential help 24/7, call Adult Protective Services at (833) 401-0832.
- If you are concerned about potential fraud, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at (833) 372-8311.
Preventing Elder Abuse
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Preventing Elder Financial Abuse in Nursing Homes
- Webinar: Preventing elder financial abuse in nursing homes and assisted living communities
- Preventing elder financial abuse: Guide for family and friends of people living in nursing homes and assisted living communities
Requirements for Reporting Elder Abuse
Investigations of Elder Abuse
Long Term Care Planning Support
The best time to think about long-term care is before you need it. Visit the US Department of Health & Human Services National Institute of Aging website to learn more about long-term care planning.
Medicare Nursing Home Compare
Find and compare nursing home facility services and ratings.
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR): Call 1-800-474-1116 or visit canhr.org for consumer information on nursing homes, Medi-Cal, LTC, pre-placement counseling, quality of care, and pension rights counseling.
California Partnership for Long-Term Care: Visit www.RUReadyCA.org for an independent, easy-to-use website that offers a host of tools, information and calculators to help each Californian plan for their individually unique long-term care needs.
Receiving the Care Residents Deserve
- How to Advocate for the Rights of Residents in Long-Term Care
- City of Pasadena Long-Term Care Facility Complaint Referral Portal (coming soon!)
What is an Ombudsman?
• Enhanced Standard Precautions Resources NEW!
• Project Firstline CNA Training (Monthly Courses) NEW!"
• How to Make 0.1% Chlorine Solution to Disinfect Surfaces in Healthcare Settings NEW!
• Mandated Reporting – Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse and Neglect in CA
• Residents’ Rights
• PEDAL Critical Information Bulletin - Conformance with DNR Order
• PEDAL Critical Information Bulletin - POLST
• PEDAL Critical Information Bulletin - SNF and RCFE Resident Councils
• PEDAL Critical Information Bulletin Resident Elopement
• Department of Justice Mandated Reporter Update 2023
• PEDAL Critical Information Bulletin - SNF 96 Hour Backup Power
LTCF staff should also note the following Pasadena Public Health Department requirements and information:
• Disease Reporting Requirements
• Preventing and Managing COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities
Check back soon for links to content and resources on the following topics!
- Department of Justice Mandated Reporter Update 2023
- Mandated Reporting – Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse and Neglect in CA
- Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse - Law Enforcement Training
California Department of Public Health is responsible for licensing, inspection, and regulation of health facilities (including skilled nursing facilities), home health agencies and hospices, and for general oversight of quality of the services they provide.
California Department of Social Services is responsible for licensing, inspection, and regulation of residential care facilities (including Assisted Living Facilities), and its Adult Care Licensing and Senior Care Licensing Divisions are responsible for general oversight of quality of the services they provide including inspecting for elder abuse.
Los Angeles County Health Facility Inspection Division is contracted by the State of California Department of Public Health, Licensing and Certification, and is responsible for the licensing and certification of health facilities and ancillary health services in Los Angeles County.
Pasadena Fire Department Fire Prevention and Environmental Safety Division prevents injury to people and prevent damage to the natural and built environment within the City of Pasadena. The division conducts periodic inspections of all business, public assembly, school and multi-family residential occupancies.
Pasadena Planning & Community Development Department Code Compliance Division enforces provisions of the zoning ordinance and the public nuisance ordinance to regulate land use and discourage blight. The division ensures that Pasadena businesses, residents and developers comply with various regulations including building, land use, and property maintenance codes.
Pasadena Police Department Special Victims Unit investigates crimes of elder abuse of Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, 290 Sex Registrant Tracking, and Sexual Assaults of minors and adults.
Pasadena Public Health Department Epidemiology and Disease Control educates and empowers long-term care facility staff to employ infection prevention and control practices necessary to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, Environmental Health conducts complaint investigations for vermin and vectors (bed bugs, cockroaches, rodents) at all commercial buildings, and permits and inspects kitchens at the facilities that are not licensed by the Department of Social Services.
State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General – Division of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse works aggressively to protect residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities from abuse or neglect by investigating and/or prosecuting those who are defrauding taxpayers and diverting health care resources from individuals in need. The division operates three programs designed to bring increased accountability to those who abuse California’s elderly and dependent adult population: (1) Violent Crimes Unit, (2) Facilities Enforcement Team and (3) Operation Guardian. The Violent Crimes Unit investigates and prosecutes physical and mental abuse of elder and dependent adults, acts committed by individual employees against patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The Facilities Enforcement Team investigates and prosecutes corporate entities, such as skilled nursing homes, hospitals and residential care facilities, for adopting policies or promoting practices that lead to neglect and/or poor quality of care. The Operation Guardian program helps protect and improve the quality of care for California’s elder and dependent adult residents residing in California’s approximately 1,300 skilled nursing facilities. The division facilitates access to relevant facilities to obtain records, assists in developing investigative strategies to address Medi-Cal fraud and elder abuse crimes, conducts surveillance, manages undercover operations, prepares and executes search warrants, and assists law enforcement agencies in filing cases for prosecution.
United States Attorney’s Office – Civil Division – Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) works with United States attorneys, investigative agencies and whistleblowers in investigating some of the Civil Division’s most significant cases. The Fraud Section houses the Elder Justice Initiative, which coordinates the department’s efforts to hold nursing homes that provide substandard care to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries accountable. They also use data analytics to identify healthcare fraud and other fraud schemes.
