Nursing homes in Illinois are supposed to care for the residents as required, provide them with a safe place to live and help them to do that which they are no longer able to do on their own. While most facilities can be trusted to do as they are expected in a caring and professional manner, there are times when even well-regarded facilities will make mistakes. Then there are those facilities that are dangerous and have a history of neglect, abuse and medical errors that lead to injury and nursing home death. When there is a belief that this is happening or has caused death, the families of the residents must understand that they have the right to pursue legal compensation.
There are levels of violations that are classified as A and AA. With A violations, the circumstances are such that the residents could be seriously injured or die. For AA violations, the resident dies because of an omission or an error. Numerous nursing facilities were fined for violations involving residents. One facility was fined $25,000 because it did not monitor and assess a resident in a proper manner. This led to the person being hospitalized. In addition, the staff at the facility did not tell two residents’ families that they had pressure ulcers.
A second facility was fined $12,500 due to neglect of a resident who had respiratory failure and died. The 37-year-old resident was disabled and experienced distress. The staff called emergency services, but did not remain with the patient until help came and the resident died. A separate incident involved a resident with cerebral palsy and other conditions who suffered a facial injury when the bed alarm was not working. In a third incident at another facility, a fine of $25,000 was issued because the staff allowed a patient to fall and suffer a fracture. Finally, a facility received a fine of $25,000 because a mechanical lift was not working properly and inured a resident.
While the state takes steps to regulate nursing care facilities and issues fines if there are violations, that does not help the family who has lost a loved one or had a loved one suffer an injury. Nursing homes should be held accountable and the injured party or the family of the loved one has the right to seek compensation in a legal filing. For assistance in pursuing a case, a lawyer experienced in nursing home abuse, neglect and death can help.
Source: bnd.com, “Two nursing homes cited for violations causing injury,” Elizabeth Donald, Jan. 9, 2017
