Nursing Home & Elder Abuse | InjuryBoard Cook County

Researchers in New Jersey recently announced the results of a project which was intended to reduce the development of bed sores in patients in health care institutions. Bed sores are technically known as pressure ulcers and are caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin, usually on bony prominences. The unrelieved pressure results in tissue death, which causes pain for the patient and...

A Rhode Island nursing home has been ordered to increase staffing levels in order to prevent residents from falling. A survey of the home resulted in immediate jeopardy findings by public health officials after they found several residents had fallen multiple times because of inadequate supervision due to low staff levels.At least three residents were injured as a result of falling, including...

Four Arizona assisted living facilties were recently closed by state authorities after inpsections revealed filthy conditions and care deficiencies.In one instance, one resident was found to have 22 decubitus ulcers, some of which were bone-deep.Many consumers are unaware of the differences between assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Assisted living facilities are intended to provide...

A West Allis, Wisconsin nursing home is under investigation after a family made complaints about several unexplained injuries that their grandmother suffered while a resident at the facility. The lack of explanation for the injuries has led the family to believe that she was abused by the staff, even though an internal investigation revealed no wrongdoing.The unexplained injuries include...

A DuPage County judge today sentenced a former nursing home CNA to 25 years in prison. The sentence follows a guilty plea to sexual assault charges.The victim of the assault was a severely disabled woman who resided in the nursing home. The sexual assult was not discovered until after it was discovered that the woman was pregnant. The CNA was identified as the perpetrator through DNA...

The Embassy Care Center in Wilmington recently received a citation from the Illinois Department of Public Health after a number of residents there were injured in falls.The care of five residents in all were the subject of the citation, including two who suffered a fractured hip as a result of falling.Falls and fall prevention are a major concern in the nursing home setting. Indeed, concerns...

A Kentucky nursing home was recently cited by the state for care deficiencies which has resulted in harm to residents of the facility.In one instance, the facility was cited with failing to change the feeding tube of a resident, resulting in dehydration and death.Dehydration is a hidden killer in nursing homes. Elderly residents have a diminished sense of thirst, so they need to be encouraged...

A nursing home in Macomb was cited recently for its failure to promptly notify a resident's physician of critical lab values.The resident had elevated creatanine levels and needed emergecny dialysis in order to save him from dying of http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6005631FA12072006.pdf.It is often said by doctors that the nursing staff are their eyes and ears. This is...

A Washington woman has filed suit against the nursing home where her mother resided. The suit alleges that the nursing home staff was negligent in administering morphine to her mother.The suit follows a finding by the local coroner that a morphine overdose led to the death of the patient.There are some basic things that have to be verified before a nurse gives medication to a patient, especially...

A Michigan nursing home has been cited by a state monitor after she found that the bed rails in several rooms were not properly installed, creating a safety hazard to residents.Improperly installed bed rails have caused the deaths of several Michigan nursing home residents since 1999.Bed rails are considered a form of restraint and shouldnto be used unless ordered by a physician. The danger...

The body of a second deceased resident from a McHenry nurisng home has been exhumed.The body was removed from its resting place as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations that residents at the facility were deliberately given fatal medication overdoses.This has been a fascinating story to watch develop. It involves allegations that a member of the nursing staff was giving...

A California nursing home was fined $100,000 by the state after a resident fell from a mechanical lift as she was being moved from her bed to chair by a nursing aide.The resident suffered blunt trauma and a lacerated liver which caused her death.All members of the nursing home staff must be properly trained in their jobs and in the use of the equipment that they use as part of their jobs. When...

An Arizona nursing home was recently fined by the state after an inspection revealed a pattern of care deficiencies. The violations were widespead and affected a number of different aspects of patient care.Two residents with osteoporosis were not treated properly and each suffered a fractured leg. Other residents developed bed sores, while other residents were not being given medications...

An Iowa nursing home was recently fined by the state after two residents were injured in falls. Both residents had a history of falling with repeat episodes of falls in the facility. These falls at first did not result in significant injury, but later fall required hospitalization. One resident suffered a head injury, while the other suffered a fractured hip.Falls involving geriatric patients...

A police raid on an East Peoria nursing home resulted in the arrests of four residents and one staff member on outstanding warrants. The four residents, all under the age of 60, were wanted on a variety of court charges. Police also identified a number of other residents who were wanted on other charges, but were not arrested because police did not have arrest warrants.The raid came as an...