Every day, seniors across Oakland suffer abuse and neglect at the hands of those entrusted with their care. Our former defense attorneys know how facilities hide the truth — and we use that knowledge to fight for your family.
Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay and the eighth-largest in California, home to roughly 430,000 residents — including an estimated 60,000 seniors aged 65 and older. With over 25 licensed skilled nursing facilities and dozens of assisted living and residential care homes spread across neighborhoods from the hills of Montclair to the flatlands of East Oakland, the city's elder care landscape reflects the same stark inequalities that define life in the Bay Area. Proximity to world-class medical institutions like UCSF and Highland Hospital does not translate into consistent quality at the facility level — care varies dramatically from one neighborhood to the next.
Oakland's diverse senior population — including significant African-American, Chinese-American, Vietnamese-American, and Latino communities — faces unique challenges in the elder care system. Gentrification and rising housing costs have displaced many longtime residents, pushing seniors into facilities farther from family support networks and making regular visits more difficult. This isolation is exactly what negligent facilities count on: fewer eyes on their operations means more opportunity to cut corners. Language barriers in communities like Chinatown and Fruitvale compound the problem, as families struggle to understand care plans and facility reports written only in English.
At California Nursing Home Law, attorneys Michael Young and Thomas Wallin are former nursing home defense lawyers who spent years representing the very facility chains that operate across Oakland. They know the corporate playbook — the delay tactics, the record alterations, the blame-shifting strategies — because they helped write it. Now they use that insider knowledge to tear those defenses apart and fight for families. Together, they have recovered over $250 million for victims of elder abuse and neglect statewide.
Our attorneys represent Oakland families in all types of nursing home abuse and neglect cases:
If you suspect a loved one is being abused or neglected in an Oakland nursing home or care facility, it is critical to act quickly. Contact the following agencies to file a report:
These organizations provide resources, support, and advocacy for seniors and their families in Oakland:
California provides some of the strongest legal protections for nursing home residents in the country. Key laws that protect Oakland seniors include:
Welfare & Institutions Code 15600-15675 — This landmark California statute allows elder abuse victims to recover enhanced damages, including attorney's fees and costs. It covers physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, abandonment, isolation, and other forms of mistreatment.
California Penal Code Section 368 — Makes it a felony to inflict unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering on an elder or dependent adult. Violations can result in imprisonment and significant fines.
Health & Safety Code 1599 — Guarantees nursing home residents fundamental rights including dignity, privacy, freedom from abuse, adequate medical care, and the right to voice grievances without retaliation.
Our nursing home abuse attorneys represent families in every neighborhood and community across the City of Oakland, including: