An Illinois nursing home received a $75,000 fine recently for violations in two unrelated incidents, including a nursing home death. In one case, a patient died after being strangled on his own nightgown straps. In a separate case, a patient left the nursing home undetected.
In addition to the fines, the home also has a provisional license for the next few months and will have to present a plan for correcting its apparent safety deficiencies.
The circumstances surrounding the tragic death of one of the home’s residents were particularly disturbing. According to reports, the roommate of the resident who died had pushed the nurse’s call light when he noticed the patient trying to get up to the bathroom. The roommate said the resident fell, but no one came to help for 20 minutes or so, despite the fact that a call light was on.
When staff did finally arrive to help the man, who had his airway cut off by his nightgown straps, they decided not to perform CPR because the man vomited. One nurse also indicated the resident had a “do not resuscitate” order in effect, which turned out not to be correct. By the time the man did start receiving life-saving measures, it was too late.
Although the nursing home received a fine, this does not mean the patient’s family will receive compensation. The family should strongly consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit in order to hold the home accountable for what seems like a case of serious neglect. They can do so with the assistance of an experienced Illinois attorney with knowledge of nursing home neglect cases.
Source: qconline.com, “Nursing home fined $75,000 for death of resident, escape of another,” Sarah Hayden, Jan. 25, 2018.
