Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

A Chicago Sun Times article discusses the 100 registered sex offenders living in 54 nursing homes, other long-term care facilities and supportive living centers throughout Illinois. While the state doesn’t require nursing homes to pass this information along to residents, these offenders are registered by the state’s sex offender registry and half are aged 50 or under. The state is taking measure to screen the residents to ensure there’s a medical reason for admitting the residents. Problems with sex offenders in nursing homes have surfaced across the country including incidents in Minnesota and Florida.

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Fined for failure to assure each resident receives all necessary precautions and/or supervision to ensure their safety; turn on all door alarms when residents are not under visual control; to make sure door alarms can be heard throughout the facility; and to ensure safety alarms are functional and/or kept on residents who have been assessed as elopement risks. One resident was able to leave the facility unnoticed because she was not wearing her safety alarm. Staff knew the resident had cut off 10 wrist devices and thrown them away, but did not revise her care plan or initiate new interventions. After the incident, the facility began placing the alarms through her shoelaces.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm

Fined for failure to investigate an allegation of physical abuse of a resident by an employee and for allowing the employee to continue working after becoming aware of the allegation. A resident alleged that an employee drug her by the arm down the hall, blew smoke in her face and said inappropriate things. A workshop staff member notified the facility of the resident’s allegations after taking pictures of the abrasions and bruises on the resident’s back and was told the allegations were “absolutely absurd.”

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm

Fined for failure to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a resident who was found unresponsive, warm and without a pulse. The facility also did not conduct an orientation, including instruction on facility policy and procedure, for agency nurses.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm

A resident died when the facility failed to implement polices and procedures to prevent neglect to a resident. An employee mistakenly gave a resident, who was on a pureed diet, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The resident choked, went into respiratory/cardiac arrest and subsequently died. The day before his death, the resident had stolen a peanut butter sandwich from another individual and choked.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm

Nurses were not trained on the correct administration of intravenous fluids and medications and as a result a resident experienced respiratory distress and subsequently died.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm

Fined for failure to promptly initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a resident who was not breathing and did not have a pulse. The facility also failed to employ a qualified person as the director of food service and to provide food and diet consultation from a qualified dietician.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm

Fined for failure to provide adequate supervision to a resident. The resident twice left the facility unnoticed and, on one occasion, left a movie theater during an outing while staff went to get refreshments. The facility has requested a hearing.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the website: http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/nursing_home_violations/quarterlyreports.htm