Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence?: Assisted Living Facility Where Suspicious Morphine Deaths Occurred in the Headlines Once More

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:15:13 -0600

Former nursing supervisor Penny Whitlock has been cleared of the charges of criminal negligence and obstructing justice. She was on trial for allegedly failing to intervene even though she suspected that nurse Marty Himebaugh was giving lethal morphine overdoses in 2006 that may have resulted in six patient deaths.

Authorities said that Whitlock let Himebaugh administer the heavy morphine doses to control residents who were troublesome or, in some cases, hurry their deaths. Yesterday, however, McHenry County Judge Joseph Condon dismissed the criminal neglect charge against Whitlock and today he found her not guilty of the obstruction of justice charge. Condon says that witnesses in the case gave conflicting testimonies and that he did not think the former nursing supervisor had “sinister” intentions when she got rid of patient medications. He also says there is no evidence that Whitlock tried to cover up anything.

Meantime, Himebaugh charged with improperly dispensing morphine and criminal neglect, is still awaiting her trial. Our Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog has been covering the “Angel of Death” Illinois nursing home negligence case. Read one of our earlier blog posts for more information. We’d also like to remind you that even if the person accused of nursing home abuse or neglect isn’t charged and/or convicted in criminal court, your loved one might still be able to obtain compensation in criminal court for the harm he/she suffered.

Among those testifying was Ann Acevedo, who was the nursing supervisor at the assisted living facility that year. She says that Whitlock told her to destroy medication because the state police were coming.

Another nurse, Eleanore LaRocco, testified that hours before another resident died in April 2006, she saw Himebaugh leave that patient’s room. The latter had a bottle of morphine with her. LaRocco also says she overheard Whitlock tell Himebaugh that she didn’t have a problem with Himebaugh playing the role of "Angel of Death."

Supervisor cleared in nursing home deaths, Chicago Tribune, April 27, 2011

Nursing boss allegedly turned blind eye to ‘Angel of Death’, Chicago Sun-Times, April 20, 2011

Illinois “Angel of Death” Nursing Home Abuse Cases Leads to Two Wrongful Death Lawsuits, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, October 7, 2008

Related Web Resources:
National Center on Elder Abuse

Morphine Overdose, Drugs.com

More Blog Posts:
Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit Claims “Torture-Like” Punishment of Developmentally Disabled Resident Led to His Wrongful Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 28, 2011

Nursing Home Negligence Allegations: Nine Nurses Charged in 175-Count Indictment, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, October 19, 2010

Nursing Assistant Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Mentally Disabled Male Resident, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, June 11, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit Claims North Side Assisted Living Facility Didn’t Inform Children of Their Mother’s Death

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:03:54 -0600

The children of Lovera Staples are suing Ridgeview Nursing Home for emotional distress and Chicago nursing home negligence. They claim that the assisted living facility failed to notify them that their mother had been for four months. It wasn’t until after Staples’s daughter called to wish her a happy birthday that they were informed that she had passed away in May 2010.

According to the Chicago nursing home negligence complaint, a nursing home worker spoke to Mary Staples on the phone told her that no one by the name of Lovera Staples lived at the North Side facility. When Mary and her brothers Roy Staples and Sylvester Staples went to the nursing home two days later, an administrator told them that their mother had died at St. Frances Hospital. Staples’ children also found out that her body had been at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office since May.

The next day, on September 14, 2010, the family set up funeral arrangements for Staples. That same day, without the family’s consent, the Cook County Department of Health buried her body. The nursing home is accused of authorizing the removal of Staples’s body from the morgue.

Staples had lived at Ridgeview Nursing Home for nearly 19 years. Because of her disabilities, she needed assistance to bathe, eat, and walk.

Chicago Nursing Home Negligence
Assisted living facilities are supposed to inform family members whenever there is a change in a resident’s medical condition. There are certainly supposed to tell them if their loved one has died.

If you or your loved one suffered physical or emotional injuries because an assisted living facility was negligent or failed to fulfill its care obligations to you and your family, you may have grounds for a Chicago nursing home negligence case.

Nursing home didn't tell family of mother's death, suit says, WLS AM, April 20, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Homes in Illinois, Illinois Department of Public Health
Illinois Nursing Home Care Act

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit Filed After Pulmonary Embolism Causes Patient’s Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 8, 2011

Chicago Nursing Home Neglect: Questions Surround More Fatalities at North Side Assisted Living Facility for Disabled Young Adults and Children

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:12:45 -0600

According to watchdog group Equip for Equality, at least five more deaths occurred at Alden Village North because of negligent nursing care. The group’s findings come after its members weeks spent at the assisted living facility examining documents, including medical records.

Equip for Equality says that about 20 Alden residents have died since 2008. That was the year that Floyd Schlossberg, who is the current nursing home operator, took over. The watchdog group said that they found 15 cases that they considered “troublesome.” Among those cases were five deaths that were “particularly egregious.” In the Chicago Tribune, Deborah Kennedy, the group’s abuse investigation director says that although its unclear whether Chicago nursing home neglect played a role in the deaths, negligent nursing care did contribute to the decline of the patients’ health.

Equip for Equity claims that the Chicago nursing home regularly got rid of evidence of medication mistakes, did not treat patients' illnesses correctly, disregarded lab results, and incorrectly investigated a number of nursing home deaths. One example of alleged negligent nursing care involved a 14-year-old girl who died in 2009. Her cause of death is listed as pneumonia. However, the watchdog group says that even though while she was still alive her lab results showed that she was experiencing “heavy growth” of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, there is no evidence in her medical records that she was given an antibiotic to treat the bacteria.

The North Side assisted living facility has been under close scrutiny since a Chicago Tribune investigation found that neglect and death were rampant at Alden. The Tribune had reported 8 deaths since 2008 that led to citations. The state of Illinois is in the process of trying to close the facility.

Alden is disputing Equip for Equity’s findings about the 5 deaths.

Chicago Nursing Home Neglect
Our Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers are appalled at the incidents of nursing home negligence that occur in many assisted living facilities. It is the patients who suffer. We are here to fight for our clients’ right to financial recovery from all responsible parties.

More deaths identified at North Side nursing facility for disabled kids, Chicago Tribune, March 28, 2011

More deaths reported at Alden nursing facility, WGNTV, March 29, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Alden Village North

Equip for Equality

Illinois Department of Public Health

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

More Blog Posts:
Chicago Nursing Home Negligence?: Tribune Reports at Least 13 Deaths in 10 Years at Alden Village North, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, October 11, 2010

Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit Claims “Torture-Like” Punishment of Developmentally Disabled Resident Led to His Wrongful Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 28, 2011

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims that Illinois Nursing Home Neglect Led to Patient’s Bedsores, February 16, 2011

Cook County Elder Financial Abuse: Melrose Man Accused of Stealing over $900,000 from His Aunt

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:10:20 -0600

Chester Czernwinski has been indicted for financial exploitation of the elderly/disabled and two felony counts of theft above $100,000. The 59-year-old Melrose Park man is accused of “methodically” taking over $900,000 from his elderly aunt, a widow in her 90’s that suffered from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Elder financial abuse is Chicago elder abuse.

Czernwinski first gained access to her funds in February 2005 when he was given power of attorney. His aunt moved in with him and he handled her finances until her death in April 2008.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, while Czernwinski was in charge of his aunt’s money, he cashed out her life insurance, stocks, and annuities. He also sold her home in Broadview. Czernwinski allegedly used the money he made, as well as money from her bank accounts, for his personal use, including $30,000 for his son’s wedding, and $53,000 for a Lincoln Navigator.

Last year, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Financial Crimes Unit started investigating Czernwinski following a relative’s complaint that there was money missing from woman’s estate. The relative later filed a Cook County lawsuit against Czernwinski, accusing him of “methodically” emptying out the woman's assets.

The woman’s relatives have said that Czernwinski prevented them from seeing her and that he kept her in his house basement until she was transferred to a nursing home.

Elder Financial Abuse
Our Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers represent elderly seniors who suffered financial losses because someone stole their money from them. Unfortunately, many elderly seniors who rely on others for care are easy targets of elder financial abuse. There are people out there who will take advantage of someone suffering from Dementia or who is too afraid to report that he/she is being taken advantage of by a caretaker or someone else who has access to the victim’s bank accounts or other funds.

Melrose Park man stole $900K from disabled aunt, Chicago Sun-Times, April 9, 2011

Ill. man accused of stealing $900,000 from aunt, Chicago Tribune, April 9, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Elder Fraud by Relatives or Caregivers

Financial Abuse, National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse

More Blog Posts:
Father and Son Accused of Chicago Elder Financial Abuse of Mentally Disabled Victim, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 27, 2010

Cook County Nursing Home Negligence?: Palos Park Nursing Home Residents Allegedly Robbed by Men Posing as Teens, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, August 5, 2010

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn Battles Financial Elder Abuse with New Law, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, July 19, 2010

Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit Claims “Torture-Like” Punishment of Developmentally Disabled Resident Led to His Wrongful Death

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:34:06 -0600

The family of Paul McCann is suing Graywood Foundation for Illinois nursing home abuse and wrongful death. The not-for-profit organization, which runs a number of group homes in the state, has been under investigation for alleged nursing home neglect and abuse. McCann, 42, died last January after nursing home employees Keyun Newble, 25, and Marquis Harmon, 23, allegedly assaulted him. They are charged with first-degree murder.

McCann is the second Graywood assisted living facility resident to die amidst allegations of nursing home abuse over the last three years. Now, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that state officials knew about the alleged abuses as early as two years before McCann’s death.

In a 2009 memo, which the AP obtained with a Freedom of Information Act request, a state investigator called the conditions at the Graywood Foundation homes “totally unacceptable.” The memo was drafted nearly a year after two employees were charged with resident Dustin Higgins’ murder. Yet, according to the McCann family’s Illinois wrongful death lawyer, even after state investigators substantiated 18 allegations of nursing home neglect and abuse, the residents’ relatives were not notified about these problems.

The McCann family claims that Harmon and Newble punched and kicked him for 45 minutes as punishment because he allegedly stole food. McCann’s ribs were broken in 13 places and he died when fluid entered his lungs.

Nursing homes should be held liable for Chicago nursing home negligence if they fail to prevent abuse and neglect incidents from happen and a patient is injured as a result. Unfortunately, Chicago nursing home abuse continues to be a problem at a number of assisted living facilities and it is the residents who end up suffering.

Memo: Ill. knew of group home abuses before death, Chicago Tribune, March 27, 2011

Lawsuit: 'Torture-like' discipline led to death at group home, Daily Herald, February 10, 2011

Man beaten in local home, DenNews, January 27, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Homes in Illinois

Illinois Department of Public Health

More Blog Posts:
lllinois Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit Filed After Pulmonary Embolism Causes Patient’s Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer, March 8, 2011

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Death of Woman Who Developed Sepsis, Dehydration, and Hypoxia, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer, February 8, 2011

Chicago Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Cook County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Hinsdale Assisted Living Facility, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 3, 2010

Alleged Chicago Nursing Home Negligence Prompts Federal Authorities to Stop Giving Medicaid Funding to North Side Facility

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:18:28 -0600

Federal officials say that since Sunday, they are no longer providing Medicaid funding to the Wincrest Nursing Center. The decision comes after federal and state investigators documented incidents of patient violence, alcohol and drug abuse, and other serious issues. That these problems exist at an assisted living facility is Chicago nursing home neglect.

The North Side facility is an 80-bed nursing home that mainly houses mentally ill patients. It could chose to stay open while waiting for a new buyer or re-entrance to the Medicaid system, but because it gets nearly 99% percent of its revenue from the federal government, it will likely have to shut down. Despite the cessation of funding, Medicaid will still give the nursing home money for some patients until they are relocated or for up to 30 days.

Other problems that inspectors found at the Chicago nursing home:
• Patient wandering
• Inadequate nursing care
• One resident went into the neighborhood and traded sexual favors for drugs.

While Wincrest has addressed some of the issues over the last several months, it has yet to resolve certain key problems. For example, some patients are still not getting the proper psychiatric services that they need.

In addition to actions taken by state and federal officials against a nursing home guilty of negligent nursing care, patients and their families may decide to sue for Chicago nursing home neglect especially if the inadequate nursing care, poor living conditions, and lack of supervision or security causes injuries or deaths.

Feds yank funding from North Side nursing home, Chicago Tribune, March 18, 2011

Federal government announces cut of Medicaid funds to Chicago nursing home, WQAD, March 19, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Homes, Medicare.gov

Chicago Nursing Homes

More Blog Posts:
Following Incidents of Chicago Nursing Home Abuse and Patient Violence, Somerset Place to Close by Friday, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 11, 2010

Evanston, Illinois Nursing Home Company Ordered to Close Another Assisted Living Facility Because of Poor Patient Care, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 21, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers: Chronic Nursing Home Neglect at Facility Forces Residents to Seek Other Housing, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, May 27, 2009

Some Chicago Nursing Homes May Have at Least One Employee with a Criminal Record

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:59:12 -0600

According to The New York Times, a report issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services’s inspector general states that over 90% of nursing homes employ at least one worker that has been convicted of a crime—that’s 5% of all nursing home employees in the US. Does this mean that many assisted living facilities are not properly screening prospective employees? Our Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers want to know.

Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson says the department checked the names of over 35,000 nursing home workers against the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s criminal history records. He notes that nearly 50% of assisted living facilities have at least five employees with at least one conviction, including one nursing home where, out of 164 workers, 34 of them had been convicted of at least one crime. Most convictions involved burglary, property-related crimes, or drug offenses.

Currently, there is no federal law that requires nursing homes to check state and criminal history records. That said, Illinois is one of the states that does require criminal background checks of prospective employees and residents. Just this week, two employees were apprehended at Decatur Manor Healthcare following an unannounced compliance check under “Operation Guardian,” which is an initiative run by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office. The workers were apprehended because they had active and outstanding arrest warrants.

Since the initiative was announced early last year, there have been 27 unannounced checks and 38 arrests. Most of the arrests were residents with outstanding warrants.

It is important that assisted living facilities hire employees who are not at high risk of committing Chicago nursing home neglect our abuse. Many patients are too sick, frail, or vulnerable to take care of themselves—let alone protect themselves from sexual assault, physical assault, verbal, abuse, or emotional abuse.

Study Finds Criminal Pasts of Nursing Home Workers, The New York Times, March 2, 2011

Attorney general's office announces two arrests during nursing home sweep, Herald-Review, March 17, 2011

Related Web Resources:
How To Get Information About Your Nursing Home, Illinois Citizens for Better Care

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan

More Blog Posts:
Illinois Nursing Home Negligence?: State Attorney General Lisa Madigan Files Injunction Order to Keep Elgin Assisted Living Facility Permanently Shut, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, November 10, 2010

Felons Using Illinois Nursing Homes as Safe Houses, Says Attorney General Lisa Madigan,
Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 22, 2010

Fighting Illinois Nursing Home Negligence: Attorney General Lisa Madigan Says More Unannounced Spot-Checks of Assisted Living Facilities Planned, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, February 25, 2010

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit Filed After Pulmonary Embolism Causes Patient’s Death

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:18:03 -0600

The family of Alice E. Goodwin is suing Rosewood Care Center, Darrell Hoefling, Larry Vander Maten, and Dr. Brian O'Neill for Illinois nursing home negligence and wrongful death. Goodwin died on November 26, 2009 from a pulmonary embolism.

Goodwin had sought treatment at Rosewood Care Center in Swansea after she fractured her left hip. Unfortunately, was while at the Swansea assisted living facility, she developed deep vein thrombosis, which later affected her lungs.

Her husband, John, blames the assisted living facility and its owners, Hoefling and Maten, for failing to protect her from nursing neglect, not giving her the medical care that she needed, including round-the-clock care, failing to design a nursing plan customized to her needs, and not notifying her doctor in a timely manner that her condition had changed for the worse. He is accusing Dr. O’Neill of Illinois medical malpractice. John is seeking over $525,000 from the defendants.

Chicago Nursing Home Neglect
Negligent nursing care continues to cause serious health issues, injuries, and deaths in assisted living facilities throughout the US. Suing for Chicago nursing home neglect won’t bring your loved one back, but it can allow you to hold all responsible parties liable.

To give you a sense of how seriously the law treats incidents of nursing home neglect and abuse, recently, a jury ordered two nursing homes to pay the family of Charlotte Pauline Dean $9.5 million for her wrongful death. The 51-year-old woman died on January 19, 2006.

Dean, who suffered from cerebral palsy and had numerous infected pressure sores on her body, was receiving weekly medical care at Hutcheson Home Health Care. Country Crossing Assisted Living was the facility providing her with full-time care. Her family sued both facilities, contending that they only treated only one of her bedsores.

Blood clot not treated, says suit against Rosewood, Madison Record, March 8, 2011

Jury orders health care facilities to pay $9 million in wrongful death suit, AJC, March 6, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Bedsores, MayoClinic

Pulmonary Embolism, emedicine

Related Web Resources:
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims that Illinois Nursing Home Neglect Led to Patient’s Bedsores, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, February 16, 2011

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Patient Suffering from Spina Bifida, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, January 18, 2011

Chicago Nursing Home Violence: Resident Charged with Battering His Roommate

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:51:04 -0600

Owen Bauler, a 62-year-old man has been charged with battery and bodily harm for allegedly assaulting his roommate at a retirement community. The patient, 85-year-old David Adams, sustained cuts on his neck and face during the alleged incident of Chicago nursing home violence.

Adams contends at 3am on Thursday, Bauler started punching him after an argument over the TV. The alleged assault finally stopped when two nurses came in to separate the two men.

Witnesses have stepped forward to support Adams’s claim. Meantime, Bauler says it is he who was assaulted by Adams for no reason while he slept.

Patient Violence
Our Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers have been reporting about the issue of patient violence in assisted living facilities for some time. It is important that assisted living facilities think hard when assigning roommates. For example, some patients may suffer from mental issues that can cause them to turn violent. These residents should definitely be kept away from older, frailer patients who cannot defend themselves. It may even be necessary that they kept away from other patients in general unless they are properly supervised.

Unfortunately, there are residents who end up becoming victims of physical assault, sexual assault, or murder because of crimes committed in nursing homes by other residents. Although the state of Illinois has been trying to do a better job of initiating reforms to stop patient violence—unannounced inspections to check if there are any residents with outstanding arrest warrants is one example—there still continue to be incidents involving patient victims and resident assailants.

Man Batters Roommate In Nursing Home, NilesPatch, February 24, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Home Safety Task Force, Governor Pat Quinn

Nursing Homes, Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General

More Blog Posts:
Felons Using Illinois Nursing Homes as Safe Houses, Says Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 22, 2010

Aurora, Illinois Nursing Home Violence: 78-Year-Old Female Patient Stabbed by Roommate’s Relative, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 4, 2010

Following Chicago Nursing Home Patient Violence Incidents, Illinois Regulators Take Steps to Revoke Columbus Manor Residential Care Home’s License, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, August 13, 2010

Did Patient Wander?: Prospect Heights Nursing Home Resident is Fatally Struck in Cook County Car Crash

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:05:03 -0600

Prospect Heights police and the Illinois Department of Public Health are trying to determine how a 78-year-old nursing home resident ended up outside the assisted living facility he was staying. William H. Spears, who uses a walker, was fatally struck by an SUV on Tuesday night. Spears was pronounced at a Park Ridge hospital.

If investigators find out that the elderly resident wandered from the nursing home because of inadequate nursing supervision or any other acts of nursing home negligence, the assisted living facility may find itself the defendant of a Cook County nursing home neglect case. According to officials, the elderly senior was trying to cross the street at around 11pm when the Cook County pedestrian accident happened. Just minutes before the tragic incident, the occupants of another vehicle tried to help Spears, but he ignored their attempts.

The elderly resident had lived at Emeritus at Prospect Heights for seven years. The nursing home is also a living facility for more independent seniors.

Wandering/Elopement
Long-term care facilities know that certain patients are not able to leave the premise alone and without supervision and it is their job to prevent elopement or wandering incidents from happening. Wandering accidents have led to patients getting hit in Chicago car crashes, freezing to death in cold weather, or becoming victims of violent crimes.

Elderly man hit, killed by SUV outside nursing home, Chicago Tribune, February 23, 2011

Senior Fatally Struck Trying To Cross Euclid, Journal-Topics, February 23, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Dementia and Wandering, Skilled Nursing Facilities.org

Illinois Department of Public Health

More Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog Posts:
Patient Missing from Chicago Nursing Home May Be Suffering from Dementia, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, January 31, 2011

Chicago Nursing Homes Must Keep Patients Warm and Healthy During Winter Months, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, December 24, 2010

Assisted Living Facility Found Guilty of Nursing Home Neglect in Patient’s Elopement Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, May 13, 2010

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims that Illinois Nursing Home Neglect Led to Patient’s Bedsores

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:54:51 -0600

Beverly Dressel is seeking more than $2.55 million for her mother’s wrongful death. In her Illinois nursing home negligence lawsuit, she accuses Covenant Care Midwest, doing business as Cedar Ridge Health Care and Rehab Center in Lebanon, of committing a number of negligent acts while caring for Betty Dressel from October 1, 2008 until December 5, 2008.

Betty Dressel, who had Alzheimer’s, died on April 14, 2009 after developing nursing home pressure sores, sepsis, and infections. Beverly Dressel contends that her mother developed these health issues because of the negligent care she received from Covenant Care.

In her Illinois wrongful death lawsuit, she claims that nursing home staff did not diagnose her mother’s decubitus ulcers, failed to refer a wound care specialist, did not properly assess the woman’s health condition, and failed to recognize changes in her health in a timely manner. This alleged nursing negligence caused her to develop lesions on her buttock, back, feet, and leg. Just two months after admitting Betty to the Lebanon, Illinois nursing home, Beverly removed her from their care. She says that prior to dying, her mother experienced pain, suffering, and mental anguish because of the health complications she developed.

Bedsores:
Bedsores can occur on the body when there is humidity, friction, temperature, medication, continence, unrelieved pressure, and shearing forces. When diagnosed early, pressure sores can be treated. Delay in or failure to treat them, however, can result in health complications, infection, and/or death. Nursing homes are aware that pressure sores are a common problem, which is why workers should be trained in diagnosing, preventing, and treating them.

Daughter sues Lebanon nursing home over mother's death, The Record, February 9, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Bedsores, MayoClinic

How to Care: Pressure Sores

Related Blog Posts:
Schaumburg Woman Files Elk Grove Village Nursing Home Abuse Negligence Lawsuit, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, November 17, 2010

llinois Nursing Home Neglect Lawsuit Claims Resident Died After Pressure Sores Were Not Treated, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, August 3, 2010

Bed Sores A Problem in US Nursing Homes, Says the National Center for Health Statistics, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 3, 2009

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Death of Woman Who Developed Sepsis, Dehydration, and Hypoxia

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:48:17 -0600

The estate of Doris I. Schaeperkoetter is suing long-term care facility The Lincoln Home for wrongful death. The lawsuit claims that Illinois nursing home negligence, including improper care, caused Schaeperkoetter to develop sepsis, dehydration, and hypoxia. Also named as a defendant in the Illinois nursing home neglect lawsuit is Weiss Management Group LLC, the assisted living facility’s owner.

Schaeperkoetter stayed at the long-term care facility from July 2008 through January 2010. The Illinois wrongful death complaint is seeking over $200,000 for medical costs and court costs.

Sepsis
Sepsis is a serious infection that can impact the entire body. Serious bedsores and sepsis can go hand in hand.

Unfortunately, sepsis is not uncommon in nursing homes and is a leading cause of fatality. Statistics show that 1/3 of patients with sepsis will likely die.

Early treatment of sepsis can make a huge difference on whether or not a patient will recover. Signs of sepsis include accelerated heart rate, rapid breathing, severe shaking, agitation, confusion, disorientation, decreased urination, dizziness, and skin rashes.

Hypoxia
Usually involves a lack of oxygen to parts of the he body. Hypoxia can be deadly. Signs of hypoxia may include dizziness, confusion, accelerated breathing, euphoria, cyanosis, and nausea. In some cases, the body may be receiving a lot of oxygen but can’t use it because of physiological issues.

Dehydration
It is important that a person is hydrated. Unfortunately, nursing home residents with health issue and weakened immune systems are ideal candidates for dehydration, which means that the body is taking in less water than what it is expelling.

Belleville nursing home named in wrongful death complaint, The Record, February 3, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Sepsis, emedicinehealth

Dehydration, NCBI

Related Blog Posts:
Chicago Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Cook County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Hinsdale Assisted Living Facility, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 3, 2010

Jury Awards $114 Million Nursing Home Abuse Verdict in 76-Year-Old’s Wrongful Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, July 22, 2010

Illinois Nursing Home Neglect: Wrongful Death Lawsuit Seeks Damages for Woman’s Fatal Fall from 21 Defendants, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, July 17, 2010

Patient Missing from Chicago Nursing Home May Be Suffering from Dementia

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:40:26 -0600

Police are searching for a 79-year-old nursing home resident who failed to return to Alshore Nursing Home after leaving the premise with a man. Lidia Constantinesco walked out of the Chicago nursing home on Friday morning with a younger male companion that she identified to staff as her brother.

However, Constantinesco apparently doesn’t have a brother. She also may be suffering from dementia and is on prescribed medication for diabetes.

Chicago Nursing Home Negligence
Assisted living facilities are responsible for not only providing patients with the nursing care that they need, but also for protecting their physical safety. This means hiring nursing home staff who won’t commit Chicago nursing home abuse, neglect, or sexual assault, making sure the facility is properly maintained so that residents aren’t injured because of any safety hazards, fall ill because of unsanitary conditions or poor heating (or ventilation), become the victim of a violent crime because of inadequate security, or don't end up wandering off the premise without notice.

While it is important that a resident retain his/her right to come and go from a facility—some patients cannot do so without supervision because they may be suffering from some type of serious mental illness. If this is the case, it is definitely the job of nursing home staff to keep a patient from leaving a facility unless accompanied by staff, a trusted family member, or someone else who has permission to take the resident out.

Cops: Woman missing from N. Side nursing home may have dementia, Chicago Tribune, January 29, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care, HelpGuide

Nursing Homes, Chicago

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Resident’s Fatal Trip and Fall

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:29:53 -0600

Illinois trip and fall accidents can cause serious physical injuries—especially if the person who falls is an elderly senior already suffering from health issues or who has brittle bones or a weakened immune system. Recently, a relative of Anastasia J. Hubert filed an Illinois nursing home negligence complaint blaming Cambridge House of O'Fallon and BMA Management for her wrongful death.

David Hubert claims that Anastasia died from pneumonia because her health failed after she fractured her spine when she tripped and fell over a telephone cord near a nurse’s desk. David Contends that the defendants were negligent for allowing there to be a cord in a walkway, not securing it with tape, and placing a phone in an area that allowed the cord to become a trip hazard. He is seeking over $200,000 in damages.

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence
While Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect are among the most serious types of acts of nursing home negligence, allowing a premise hazard to exist at a nursing can also cause injury victims to cry negligence on the assisted living facility’s part. It is a nursing home’s responsibility to make sure that there are no hazards on a property that could cause patients to get sick, hurt, or die.

When a trip and fall is cited as a cause of Illinois personal injury , there will likely be a number of issues that will have to be addressed, such as whether the hazard was easily seen or not, or if the plaintiff could have prevented or remedied the safety issue.

Assisted living center sued after resident trips on telephone wire, dies, The Record, January 19, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes , Nolo

Nursing Homes in Illinois

Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Patient Suffering from Spina Bifida

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:04:14 -0600

The husband of 63-year-old Carol Harrison is suing Maple Ridge Care Centre for Illinois wrongful death and alleging nursing home negligence. Harrison died on August 1, 2009.

In his Illinois nursing home neglect lawsuit, Thomas Harrison says that delayed diagnosis of his wife’s deep vein thrombosis resulted in the amputation of her leg, which accelerated her death. Carol was admitted to Maple Ridge just two months earlier to help her get off a ventilator following a surgery that temporarily left her in a coma. According to Thomas’s Illinois nursing home neglect lawyer, if it hadn’t been for the health complications she suffered at the assisted living facility, the grandmother of three would have gone home.

It was just this October that the Lincoln nursing home settled a state fine related to the death of another patient. Keri Daugherty died in March 2009. Maple Ridge was initially fined $10,000 for failing to resuscitate the 32-year-old, per her wishes. The case against the Illinois assisted living facility was later settled for $6,500.

Daugherty, who had spina bifida, stayed at the assisted living facility for six months. Maple Ridge’s director of nursing reportedly opted not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her because she couldn’t stand to “break up” Daugherty’s body. According to mysuburbanlife.com, Brigit Dyer-Reynolds, a watchdog for nursing home residents, has expressed concern that Illinois nursing home neglect contributed to Daugherty’s blood infection, which proved fatal.

Illinois nursing home neglect can lead to infections, health complications, bedsores, malnutrition, dehydration, fall injuries, choking incidents, sepsis, clogged breathing tubes, medication mistakes, wandering accidents, and death. You should explore your legal options to determine whether you have grounds for a Chicago nursing home abuse or neglect case.

Lincoln nursing home sued over care of resident, MySuburbanLife, January 13, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Illinois Department of Public Health

Elder Abuse and Neglect, HelpGuide