Following Discovery Of Injuries In Centenarian, Authorities Initiate Investigation Of Abuse At Nursing Home
Tennessee authorities are now investigating what appears to be tell-tale signs of nursing home abuse following the hospitalization of a 100-year-old woman. After the centenarian was admitted to the hospital with severe hemorrhaging, broken ribs and pressure sores, the hospital contacted the local police department as well as the Tennessee Adult Protective Services. Prior to her hospitalization, the woman was a patient at Boulevard Terrace Nursing Home for treatment related to a fractured femur she sustained prior to her admission. As authorities look into this patient's suspicious injuries, the woman's family has relocated her to another facility. Most states have...
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Pressure Sores Are A Problem Facing All Nursing Home Patients .... Yet, They Remain Generally Preventable
It appears even in idyllic Idaho, pressure sores are a tremendous problem facing nursing home patients. As attorney John Kormanik discusses in his recent Nursing Home Abuse Advocate Blog entry, Idaho Facilities Cited For Failing To Prevent Pressure Sores, a staggering 40.5% of Idaho Nursing Homes were cited for violations relating to improper patient care. As John points out, pressure sores or decubitus ulcers / pressure ulcers / pressure sores can be prevented with relatively simple techniques such as turning patients on a regular basis to reduce the formation of pressure on the body. David Terry and I will address...
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Seems Like Common Sense, Yet Many Medical Facilities Continue To Ignore Patients Daily Hydration Needs
By the looks of many nursing home patients' physical appearance, you'd think they were living in the desert. Rather than a weakened appearance due to trekking through the Sahara, most of these patients suffer the effects of dehydration due to improper care and general neglect. Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount of water taken in. Water is routinely lost when a person breathes, sweats, urinates or has a bowel movement and as humidified air leaves the body. Dehydration is caused by too much water being lost, not enough water being taken in,...
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Nursing Home Spotlight: Heartland Of Springfield Nursing Home, Springfield, OH
Heartland of Springfield Nursing Home is a large 126 bed nursing home located in Springfield, Ohio. According to the government’s Medicare website, the facility received only one out of five stars, which is a much below average rating. In the past year, the nursing home had eighteen health deficiencies, which is eleven more than the average number of health deficiencies in Ohio and ten more than in the United States. The number of health deficiencies has increased in the past year, especially in the area of quality care. The nursing home has an obligation to provide a safe and secure...
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Nursing Home Spotlight: Warren Barr Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois
Warren Barr Pavilion is a large 221 bed nursing home facility located in the near north side of Chicago. According to the government’s Medicare website , the facility received only two out of five stars, which is a below average rating. This is in large part to the facility’s high number of health deficiencies. In the past year, the facility had eleven health deficiencies, which is higher than both the average health deficiencies for both nursing homes in Illinois and across the United States. The facility’s most significant health deficiencies were improper care and services and risk of falls/accidents. The...
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Appellate Court Decision Expands Nursing Home Patient Rights
In Grammer v. John J. Kane Regional Centers, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that nursing home residents can bring civil rights actions under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. This new cause of action allows residents to challenge the quality of treatment received by bringing a civil rights claim. In this case, Melvinteen Daniels, an 80 year old mother of eight, died in the John J. Kane Regional Center, an Allegheny County, PA operated nursing home facility. As a result of the facility’s failure to provide proper care, Ms. Daniels suffered from malnourishment and pressure sores, which led to sepsis and death. The administrator of Ms....
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Nursing Home Spotlight: Rockford Healthcare & Rehab Center Fined For Failing To Prevent Pressure Ulcers
In December 2008, the Illinois Department of Public Heath (IDPH) completed a survey of Rockford Healthcare & Rehab Center, located at 1920 North Main Street in Rockford, Illinois. Finding significant problems with the facility, it issued a notice of a Type A violation and a fine of $15,000. IDPH found that Rockford Healthcare & Rehab Center failed to monitor residents who were at risk for pressure sores or to follow physician directions for care of pressure sores. As a result of their failure to implement prvention techniques, some residents suffered from worsening conditions and developed new pressure ulcers during their...
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Spotlight On Palos Hills Extended Care Nursing Home
If you suspect poor care in a nursing home, one of the most important things to do is to document the mistreatment. Obviously, this can be a difficult—if not impossible-- for an individual who may not be familiar with the system. Perhaps the easiest way to document poor care is to file a complaint with the state health department. The complaint will trigger an investigation (or survey as they are commonly known) by the state’s department of public health into the alleged poor care. These investigations tend to be thorough and usually entail chart reviews, employee interviews, resident interviews and...
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Incontinence Amongst The Nursing Home Population
My office was recently retained by the family of a woman who developed pressure sores on her buttocks and vagina in a Chicago nursing home. When asked, the family was unsure if their loved one was technically 'incontinent'. After reviewing the woman's chart, it was obvious that the woman was incontinent and the nursing home failed to provide properly adequate cleaning and timely changes for this elderly nursing home resident. By some accounts, more that 50% of the people living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities may have some type of bladder or bowl control problems. Although widely used,...
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South Carolina Nursing Home Settles Claims Of Injury, Illness & Death
The C.M. Tucker, Jr. Nursing Care Center has agreed to settle allegations of poor care levied on it by the Justice Department following an eight month investigation into the state-run facility. The South Carolina facility houses 360 resident including 70 veterans and residents with long-term psychiatric illnesses. The Justice Department conducted the report conducted the unannounced investigation under the powers granted it under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. In May, the investigative report was released to the public. Among the conditions cited to in the 36- page report include: Staff failing to identify residents with swallowing problems Failure to...
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