The parents of a 49-year-old nursing home residents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against  Aldercrest Health & Rehabilitation Center in Seattle the death of their for their daughter.  The woman who had suffered a stroke, which led to a tracheotomy.  The woman's family selected Aldercrest because staff at the facility made assurrances of providing skilled, high quality care, and a tour that showcased a pleasant exercise room and a bedroom with a pretty comforter.

But less than 24 hours after their daughter was admitted, her tracheal tube clogged with mucous, causing oxygen loss and brain damage.

Aldercrest is owned by Extendicare Homes Inc. based out Milwaukee-based Extendicare of violating consumer-protection laws by advertising "quality standards above government regulations" and failing to deliver. The lawsuit highlights problems long known by local advocates and health officials regarding Extendicare, one of the largest nursing-home chains in North America. The company runs 268 facilities for up to 30,000 residents.  Nearly all of Extendicare's homes, which can accommodate up to 1,500 people, have higher-than-average scores for health deficiencies found by state inspectors.

"They're bad news," said Louise Ryan, the state's long-term care ombudsman. "They are a very troubled corporation. It's just very sad that they are as bad as they are."

Read more about this incident of poor nursing home care here.