Use Of Restraints Amongst Nursing Home Patients Has Been Reduced More Than 50% Over The Last Decade. Is It Enough?
When you consider forms of cruel treatment, maybe you consider beds of nails or solitary confinement? However, another form of cruel treatment-- the use of restraints, is commonly used with innocent nursing home patients. At some facilities, patient restraints are a commonly used tool used by facilities in lieu of providing actual hands-on patient care by facility staff. In the past, nursing homes used physical restraints such as: bed rails, lap belts, vests, wrist ties and special chairs to assist them in literally controlling their patients. In addition to de-humanizing patients, the use of restraints was attributed to rapid physical...
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Nursing Home Spotlight: Addolorata Villa: Wheeling, Illinois
Even at nursing home facilities with relatively high Medicare ratings and low average number of health deficiencies, serious problems can still occur. Despite a three-star (average Medicare rating), Addolorata Villa (a nursing home located in Wheeling, Illinois with 91 certified beds) failed to provide proper care and services to an elderly female resident after a fall, which then required an ER visit for serious injuries. Addolorata received two stars for its health inspections for five health deficiencies over the past year. This is three less health deficiencies than the average number of health deficiencies for Illinois nursing homes and also three less...
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Under-staffing At Nursing Home Blamed For Pressure Ulcer, Infection & Subsequent Death
The son of a deceased nursing home patient blames 'under-staffing' as the primary reason why his mother fell and subsequently developed pressure ulcers. Gary Brown filed a lawsuit against a county operated nursing home in Nebraska on behalf of his deceased mother's estate. In addition to under-staffing, the lawsuit alleges the facility allowed his mother to develop pressure ulcers (also referred to as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers or bed sores) during her recovery from a fall at the facility. Despite the fact that the pressure ulcers progressed and became infected, the facility also allegedly failed to notify the woman's personal...
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Lexington Care Center Named As Defendant In Case Involving Mutiple Falls
Lexington Care Center of Lake Zurich, Illinois has been named in nursing home negligence lawsuit filed in Cook County. The lawsuit alleges Chicago nursing home failed to monitor an 83-year-old resident who was a known high fall risk. The woman allegedly fell five times from February through August, 2007. The fifth and final fall at Lexington resulted in a fractured hip that required surgery. Unfortunately, the woman remained at Lexington for five days before the staff transferred her to a hospital for x-rays and medical treatment. Unhappy with the care Lexington provided, the family chose an alternative facility for...
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$50,000 Penalty Sought Against Nursing Home Where Resident Fell To Her Death
The North Carolina Nursing Home, where an Alzheimer's patient recently fell to her death after she literally wheeled herself through multiple sets of unlocked doors will likely face a fine of $50,000 -- the maximum penalty. As we recently discussed, on December 18th, 87-year-old Annie Bell Scarboro went unnoticed by staff at the Five Oaks Manor in Concord, and wandered through several doors and kitchen area and onto an unlit and unguarded loading dock where she fell four feet to her death. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services suggests the nursing home be fined $10,000 per day...
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Never Event #1: Hospital Falls & Trauma
Falls in trauma top the list of preventable medical conditions in hospitals, accounting for 193,566 incidents in 2007. Falls in hospitals (and similarly in nursing homes) are deemed to be preventable by Medicare because with proper fall/risk assessments and staff assistance most falls in hospital could be avoided. A number of factors should be addressed by a hospital to determine if a person is at risk for falls: Medication that may effect balance or coordination Does the person normally use an assistive device like a walker or cane? If so, one should be provided by the facility at all times. Age....
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Coincidence? Two Lawsuits Recently Filed Against Same Nursing Home
Bad nursing homes generally have a pattern of poor care. There will always be isolated incidents at even the most well staffed facilities. However, when repeated incidents occur within a brief period of time there are usually deeper problem with the facility. Case in point, two recent lawsuits were filed against the Devon Gables Health Care Center. The first lawsuit involves, Elfriedel Sitzman, a female resident who was not give adequate care following a stroke. The lawsuit claims that Sitzman fell and broke her arm in a fall during her stay at the facility from November through December, 2007. The...
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