Nursing Home & Elder Abuse

• Kentucky nursing home cited in resident death

  Barry Doyle | May 24, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Macomb nursing home cited

  Barry Doyle | May 13, 2007 9:27 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Morphine overdose kills nursing home resident

  Barry Doyle | May 08, 2007 10:26 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Nursing home fined $100,000 for unsafe bed rails

  Barry Doyle | April 26, 2007 7:45 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Body exhumed in nursing home investigation

  Barry Doyle | April 25, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Fall from mechanical lift causes patient death

  Barry Doyle | April 23, 2007 10:12 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Arizona nursing home cited for patient care violations

  Barry Doyle | April 22, 2007 10:44 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Nursing home fined for falls

  Barry Doyle | April 14, 2007 9:20 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• East Peoria nursing home raided

  Barry Doyle | April 11, 2007 11:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  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...

• Staff walk out on North Side nursing home

  Barry Doyle | April 01, 2007 10:28 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Upset that they had not been paid in months and that paychecks were bouncing, the entire staff of certified nursing assistants walked off the job at the Contiental Care Center on Western Avenue in Chicago on Friday.Certified nursing assistants provide much of the day-to-day care at nursing homes, including the turning and repositioning which is so crucial to the prevention of pressure...