Nursing Home Spotlight: Addolorata Villa: Wheeling, Illinois
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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 than the average number of health deficiencies for United States nursing homes. Despite the average rating, this facility still suffers from serious health deficiencies, which resulted in serious injuries.
In March 2009, Addolorata Villa failed to properly monitor a resident after a fall and also failed to properly notify the attending physician of a change in condition. The resident ended up in the ER with a brain bleed and fracture because of these failures. Elderly residents are particularly susceptible to falls because of weakness, illness, and balance problems.
On March 24, 2009, an 83 year old female resident suffering from Dementia fell from her chair directly across from the nurse’s station. The resident suffered facial lacerations, swelling, and bruising. The nurse assessed the resident, returned her to the chair, and administered first aid.
Facility staff continued to monitor the resident who denied pain despite restlessness, agitation, grimacing (which is a symptom of pain) and continued swelling and bruising of her left eye, which progressed to the extent that the staff was unable to open her eye to check the eye and pupil response. However, on the morning of March 26, the resident was noted to be more lethargic and was sent to the emergency room (ER) for evaluation. The resident was then admitted to the hospital with a brain bleed and cervical fracture.
The facility failed to provide timely, frequent and comprehensive neurological assessments, and also failed to notify the physician in a timely manner of the change in neurological status and change in the condition of the left eye. These failures resulted in a 33 hour delay in medical treatment for the elderly resident. The facility’s failures and neglect resulted in this resident suffering from prolonged pain and further injury, ending in an ER visit.
Each and every nursing home resident has the right to receive the necessary care and services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being. This requirement was not met when the facility failed to provide proper treatment to this resident after her fall. During the following May 7, 2009 complaint investigation, the surveyor found that the facility’s significant failures placed this resident’s health and safety in immediate jeopardy.
When choosing a nursing home facility for a family member, there are many factors that should influence your decision, including the number of residents, number of staff, location, past health deficiencies, Medicare rating. You must be aware that even relatively good facilities with an average Medicare rating can have serious health deficiencies, which can result in serious injuries.
Sources:
IDPH: Addolorata Villa
Medicare: Addolorata Villa
Chicago Business: Illinois Ranks High on Bad Nursing Home Report
Investigators interviewed both Gall's family as well as staff at Alden Hills in attempting to determine the cause of Gall's broken neck. Additionally, a neurosurgeon was consulted for the state's investigation and verified Gall suffered a hangman's fracture. Further, the neurosurgeon opined the severity of the hangman's fracture could not have occurred without trauma. Although no specific traumatic event could be identified as the culprit of the injury, three conclusions were reached in the report:
