FEINSTEIN BRIEFLY IN HOSPITAL AFTER FALL

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, DCalif., was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after a fall at her home in San Francisco and returned to her residence after an examination showed no serious injuries, her spokesperson said.

The senator, 90, tripped over a chair in her kitchen around 1 p.m., according to her office.

She was admitted briefly to the medical center at the University of California San Francisco “as a precaution,” Adam Russell, her spokesperson, said Wednesday. He added that she had remained there for an hour or two until doctors determined that her scans were clear.

Feinstein’s health has been a growing concern since February, when she was hospitalized with a severe case of shingles. Complications from the illness kept her home until May, and she has relied heavily on staff members to perform her duties on Capitol Hill this year. She and other lawmakers are in their home states for Congress’ August recess.

Feinstein has required extensive home care, the cost of which has become part of a dispute over control of the estate of her late husband, Richard Blum, a wealthy financier. When she was recovering from shingles in San Francisco this spring, she relied on housekeepers and home health aides. She also was accompanied by a health aide when she returned to Washington in May.

The senator has granted her only child, Katherine Feinstein, power of attorney over her legal affairs. Katherine Feinstein, a former Superior Court judge in San Francisco, has filed two lawsuits challenging how Blum’s estate is being handled by trustees.

Dianne Feinstein is among a number of aging senators whose health issues have become a focus on Capitol Hill. Her absence from work on the Senate Judiciary Committee while she battled illness in the spring prompted some in her own party to call for her resignation.

On the Republican side, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, has also had health issues: He had a concussion after falling at a fundraising event in March and froze midsentence while speaking at a news conference last month, leading to speculation about who might succeed him if he were to retire.

Both lawmakers have said they plan to finish their terms.