When a loved one is placed in a nursing home it is usually because they can no longer take care of their daily needs or that they need a certain standard of care that cannot be provided by loved ones. Oftentimes, a nursing home resident’s medical provider will have certain requirements in place for the nursing home to follow, to ensure the safety of the resident. If these orders are not followed, the results could be catastrophic.
A lawsuit between the family of a nursing home resident and a Chicago-area nursing home regarding the resident’s choking death has been settled to the tune of $875,000. The man was a resident at the Center Home for Hispanic Elderly in November 2012.
On November 9 of that year, a nursing home employee did not follow the dietary restrictions set by the man’s physician. The man was solely to be fed mechanical-soft food. However, a certified nursing assistant at the facility gave the man his dinner on a tray, got him up in the proper position for eating and then left the man. The man, who was unsupervised, began choking on his food.
The nursing assistant tried to give the man the Heimlich maneuver but was not successful. The assistant also pressed the call light seeking further assistance, but no one answered the call. Further life-saving measures were taken, but they were not successful and the man passed away.
The family of the man attributed his death to a lack of staff members at the facility and the improper training of staff members. They believe the entire facility had “systemic problems.” While they are still grieving the loss of their loved one, they hope that their case will provide the impetus needed for the facility to make the necessary changes.
Nursing home neglect can ultimately lead to deaths that never should have happened. When a family places their loved one in a nursing home, they also place their trust in the facility that their loved one will receive the care he or she needs. If a nursing home death occurs, families in Illinois may want to seek legal advice.
Source: CBS Chicago, “$875K For Family Of Man Who Choked To Death At Nursing Home,” March 20, 2017
