Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

Death of Elderly Victim Draws Attention to Home Health Care

In late 2006, a bedridden elderly woman was killed in her California home by her home health care aide. Her killer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison. This event has drawn attention to the growing number of home-care providers being charged with abuse. Prosecutors state that there are a growing number of cases of abuse, negligence and fraud when the aides abuse the elderly. Most abuse cases involve nonmedical aides hired to help around the house. Also, older people are sometimes afraid to report home-care abuse. Due to these great number of elderly abuse cases, many are calling for better oversight of an expanding industry. Currently 1.6 million people are employed to care for the elderly. It is cheaper for Medicaid to pay for home care which costs $6,000 than a nursing home which costs $20,000.
The great number of abuse and neglect cases has prompted Illinois to enact legislation that requires all home-care agencies to be licensed and screen their employees. To read the full story, click here.

The death of a 90 year old woman that passed away in early June has been ruled a homicide due to neglect. She was checked into a hospital for malnutrition and infected bed sores but died shortly after being admitted because her condition was so bad. The details as to who was taking care of her when this neglect occurred and whether a wrongful death suit will be filed are still not known. Authorities are beginning a full investigation into her death. Elderly abuse and neglect is a very prevalent issue all over the country, including in Chicago, Illinois. For full story click here.

In a recent study on elderly abuse done by the University of Chicago, it was found that approximately 13% of elderly people are currently subject to abuse. The forms of elder abuse addressed in this study included verbal, financial and physical abuse. This study is one of the first of its kind to be done in that it is much more comprehensive and inclusive than previous studies that regarding elder abuse and draws from a more representative sample. The large sample allowed for it to be seen that the types of abuse differ in different situations (verbal abuse was found to be the most common) as well as the reporting of abuse differing based on factors such as gender, age and race. For the full story click here.

The family of a nursing home resident that died after a cerebral hemorrhage due to a fall while in her nursing home has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the nursing home. The patient had suffered four falls during her brief stay at the nursing home prior to her death, causing it to seem that the nursing home was neglecting to provide the appropriate care to their patients. While many nursing homes including ones in Chicago, Illinois have issues with staffing shortages which can lead to inadequate patient care and could lead to patient accidents, this nursing home seems to have neglect issues. This case is just one of many lawsuits that the company that owns this particular nursing home has received that claim similar neglect or wrongful death. An employee of the nursing home was previously sued for felony elder abuse after a patient showed signs of head injuries consistent with being beaten. The issue of nursing home abuse and neglect is a prevalent issue and is seen all over the country, including in Chicago, Illinois. To read the full story click here.

Levin & Perconti has filed a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of Reverend Clarence Ballenger’s family for his death as a result of nursing home abuse and neglect and common law negligence at Pavilion at Forest Park nursing home. The Reverend is survived by ten children and thirty-five grandchildren. Levin & Perconti filed the suit on July 15, 2008. Reverend Ballenger was a resident at the Pavilion at Forest Park, 8200 W. Roosevelt Road, Forest Park, Illinois and was under the medical care of several doctors.

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Levin & Perconti has filed a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of Theresa Alexander’s surviving family members. Theresa was a resident at Glenshire from February 2006 to February 2007. Theresa entered Glenshire at 22660 South Cicero Avenue in Richton Park, Illinois without any pressure ulcers. While at Glenshire, Theresa was noted to be at risk for falls and for decubitus ulcers, commonly known as bed sores. Despite these known risks, the nursing home did not care for her properly.

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The wrongful death of a nursing home resident has lead to a nursing home negligence lawsuit. A resident in a Chicago, Illinois nursing home was beaten by his nursing home roommate. A lawsuit has been filed against the nursing home for negligence in its placement of an Alzheimer’s patient with a non-Alzheimer’s patient. The nursing home abuse and beating caused the death of a Chicago, Illinois nursing home resident. To read more about this story and the lawsuit click here.

A Chicago man was found beaten to death in the South Side nursing home All Faith Pavilion. The Cook County medical examiner's office determined that the Alzheimer's patient was beaten to death in the nursing home. All Faith Pavilion has a history of Illinois Department of Health Violations for nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect, having paid upwards of $80,000 in fines since 2004. The home's record of elder abuse includes two prior deaths. According to police information, the man's death was ruled a homicide.

See video coverage here.

Levin & Perconti has filed a nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuit in Cook County on behalf of Michael Tadelman’s daughter and guardian under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. The suit was filed on July 22, 2008.

Mr. Tadelman suffered multiple falls while in residency at Abington of Glenview. As a result, he had special designation as a fall risk and the nursing home was required to monitor him closely. Abington of Glenview and its staff failed to care for his needs properly: he suffered multiple falls during his residency.

Read the entire press release here.

Steven Levin and John Rushing of Levin & Perconti have filed a nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Levin and Rushing filed the suit on behalf of Mr. James Floyd who suffered at the hands of his nursing home care providers.

Mr. Floyd was a resident at Rest Haven Illiana Christian Convalescent Home in Palos Heights, Illinois. On the day before he would return home, Mr. Floyd’s care was neglected by the nursing home staff. The nursing home knew that he was a high risk for falls but failed to take adequate steps to prevent his falling. As a result of this neglect, Mr. Floyd fell from his bed and broke his hip.

Continue reading "Levin & Perconti Files a Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawsuit against Rest Haven" »

Steven M. Levin was once again recognized as a leading authority on nursing home abuse and neglect. In an interview with Lawyers and Settlements, Levin discussed the state of the nursing home industry and the role litigation plays in defining the limits of acceptable behavior. The article focuses on Levin’s success with Levin & Perconti in procuring record judgments and settlements against nursing homes for violations of the standard of care. Levin also discussed the fact that, instead of addressing the main cause of nursing home issues - namely understaffing, facilities are adjusting their governance structure to avoid liability. This would only further deteriorate the struggling nursing home industry.

For more information, click here:

Levin & Perconti has filed a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of Reverend Clarence Ballenger’s family for his death as a result of nursing home abuse and neglect and common law negligence at Pavilion at Forest Park nursing home. The Reverend is survived by ten children and thirty-five grandchildren. Levin & Perconti filed the suit on July 15, 2008. Reverend Ballenger was a resident at the Pavilion at Forest Park, 8200 W. Roosevelt Road, Forest Park, Illinois and was under the medical care of several doctors.

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Governor Rod Blagojevich launched the 4th annual “Break the Silence” campaign and declared July to be Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Illinois. The campaign is designed to increase reporting of suspected abuse of elders, an increasingly challenging problem in nursing homes and other assisted living facilities. “Our seniors have the right to be treated with dignity, respect, and to feel safe and secure. Unfortunately, many seniors find themselves victims of abuse and neglect which is unacceptable,” said Governor Blagojevich. “The sooner we know about a case of abuse, the sooner we can put a stop to it. But in order to keep up the fight against abuse and neglect, we need everyone to do their part. If you suspect a case of elder abuse report it. Elder Abuse prevention will help keep thousands of seniors safe each year.”

It is estimated that 80,000 elders in Illinois have been abused in some way, either physically, mentally, financially, or simply through neglect. Since the inception of the campaign, reporting of elder abuse has increased by 16%. However, a majority of incidents of elder abuse remain unreported.

For more information, click here.

A nursing home resident died today after the police have determined he was a victim of the most extreme nursing home abuse possible, that of murder. The nursing home murder tops all cases in Chicago, Illinois homes placing nursing home neglect and nursing home abuse cases into perspective. The improper nursing home treatment is a growing problem in the city as seniors and other vulnerable populations suffer from lack of supervision, inadequate nursing home staff and in this case extreme neglect and abuse to the highest degree. The deceased victim was a resident of All Faith Pavilion a nursing home which has received nursing home citations and nursing home fines from the state for its lack of adequate service and staff. To read more about this tragic nursing home murder click here.

The Seventh Circuit recently ruled that Alden Management Services, which operates seven nursing homes in or near Chicago, is required to back pay 119 foreign nurses. The decision was premised on the Immigration Nursing Relief Act of 1989, which allowed facilities to secure visas for foreign nurses. However, the Act requires the facility pay foreign nurses the same amount as registered nurses who are U.S. citizens. Alden violated this provision. The fear with underpaying nurses is that this will result in an equivalent drop in the standard of care. As a result, the court decided to require Alden to pay back the entire difference from since its first use of foreign nurses.

For the full decision, click here:

A missing nursing home resident has left the facility he was residing in. A search continues for the 56 year old missing nursing home resident. Problems with resident wandering and resident elopement are often related to a nursing home failure to supervise its residents. So far no nursing home lawsuit has been filed against the facility. To read the full story and see a picture of the missing resident click here.

Nursing home abuse victim, Maratta Walker, was found after wandering from nursing home in a local Chicago, Illinois motel slain to death. Police investigations on the alleged nursing home negligence case have turned up a suspect in the brutal slaying. A nursing home lawsuit was filed for alleged nursing home abuse and neglect yesterday. It is likely that the suit alleges not only a survival suit but also a wrongful death suit. To see the most current news on this story click here.

A nursing home lawsuit is to be filed by the family of a woman who was prone to nursing home wandering. The woman, a 46 year old, with a history of seizures and brain injuries was found naked in a motel in Chicago, Illinois after wandering off from an alleged negligent nursing home. The woman found in Cook County was beaten to death and had suffered serious personal injuries caused by an unknown suspect. The woman went missing after leaving Somerset Nursing Home. The family will likely also file a wrongful death suit against the defendant nursing home. To see the full story on this alleged Somerset Nursing home abuse click here.