Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

A wrongful death lawsuit was filed today by John J. Perconti and Patricia M. Gifford of Levin & Perconti, a Chicago-based law firm, on behalf of the family of an 81-year old resident who died as a result of a head trauma sustained at Alden Des Plains Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.

The woman was admitted to Alden Des Plaines on November 25, 2005 after being hospitalized for a fall that caused a fracture to her left rib. Despite her high risk for falls, a condition that caused her to be admitted to the facility in the first place, Alden staff improperly completed an assessment for her risk of falling.

The woman fell in her room at Alden on January 9, 2006, which resulted in a head injury. She suffered an acute left temporal intracranial hemorrhage and subdural hematoma, all of which ultimately caused or contributed to her death on January 14, 2006.

Attorney John Perconti, stated: “Alden’s staff did not properly assess the resident for her high risk of falling despite her significant risk factors. The resident should have been considered a high risk for falls based on her history and because she was on psychotropic medications which can cause unsteadiness.” Perconti added, “In cases in which a resident is at risk for falling, facilities like Alden need to provide close supervision and assistance as well as alarms for their beds and chairs as precautionary measures.”

Attorney Patricia Gifford added: “The resident’s family searched for a nursing facility that would provide the highest standard of care for her. Alden failed to meet her need for close supervision and care.”

The facility was cited by the Illinois Department of Public Health for resident injury and improper nursing care.

Click here for the press release

Last November, 82-year Michail Aronov was admitted to the hospital with diagnoses of medication poisoning, dehydration, malnutrition, kidney damage, metabolic imbalance, significant weight loss and adverse changes in his mental status after being neglected in a Chicago area nursing home. A lawsuit filed today by Steven M. Levin of Chicago-based law firm Levin & Perconti, alleges that Alden Long Grove neglected Michail so badly during his residency at Alden Long Grove, that they caused his death. Ultimately Michail died from complications of sepsis, urinary obstruction, and a urinary tract infection. During his 8 month stay at the Alden facility, among other things Michail lost 15% of his body weight, a factor that caused the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to cite the home for neglect and improper nursing care.

Click here for the press release

A nursing home lawsuit was filed today by Steven Levin and Michael Bonamarte of the Chicago-based law firm Levin & Perconti in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois on behalf of the daughter of 78-year-old resident who died on January 31, 2007. The lawsuit alleges that the woman died as a result of the nursing home abuse and neglect she suffered while a resident at Glenshire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center located at 22660 South Cicero Avenue, in Richton Park, Illinois. While a resident at Glenshire, the woman developed multiple infected pressure ulcers which ultimately caused or contributed to cause her death. The lawsuit also alleges that the staff at Glenshire Nursing and Rehab Center allowed the resident to become dehydrated and malnourished.

Click here for the press release

A former resident of Manorcare Naperville is suing the facility for leaving a sponge in an open wound which became embedded in the resident’s leg. The resident was admitted to Manorcare on June 24, 2005 after surgery and received wound care at Manorcare until July 2, 2005. Manorcare is a chain of nursing homes that is frequently cited by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for improper nursing care and neglect. Several lawsuits have also been filed against Manorcare facilities throughout the state of Illinois by nursing home attorneys on behalf of residents and family members who have been abused or neglected in Manorcare facilities.

Click here for the full article.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has fined Pleasant Hill Village nursing home in Girard, IL $25,000 because its employees abused and taunted nursing home residents. Although the employees from the home have been fired, the facility is challenging the allegations. According to the IDPH, aides were poking residents with safety pins and taking away their belongings. These residents and their family members may be able to file a nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuit against Pleasant Hill Village if themselves or their loved ones were abused and neglected at the facility in violation of federal and state regulations.

Click here for the full article

Elderly victims of abuse will have access to elder abuse services thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week. House Bill 734 was sponsored by state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, and Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton. The bill is also supported by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

Click here for the full article

In a new initiative to improve health care, Medicare will no longer pay hospital costs of treating illness, injuries or infections resulting from medical mistakes or negligence. By not paying the extra costs of treating preventable injuries or illness in hospitals, the lives of many patients and millions of dollars can be saved. Currently, Medicare pays for treatments resulting from medical malpractice and negligence. Private insurers are considering following Medicare's lead, which could greatly increase benefits and savings for patients and make insurance less expensive and more accessible.

Preventable conditions that will no longer be covered include bedsores, or pressure ulcers, injuries or death caused by falls and unnecessarily contracted infections. This will force doctors and hospitals to take more care in following policies and procedures to prevent these types of avoidable errors. Hospital advocates have tried to fight back, making claims that some injuries, such as pressure sores, are unavoidable. However, Levin & Perconti recently settled a case for $1 million in which a nursing home claimed that pressure sores were unavoidable. This theory proved false when the paraplegic patient was treated somewhere else and the pressure ulcers healed. This initiative is a federal recognition that many illnesses and injuries are caused by hospitals and doctors not following policies and procedures or meeting the standard of care. Because pressure ulcers are not covered by Medicare, for instance, the federal government is acknowledging that they are, in fact, avoidable and a result of negligence.

Click here for the full article

A Belvidere, Illinois nursing home has been fined $25,000 by the Illinois Department of Public Health for the serious neglect of residents. Lack of supervision at the home has allowed one resident, a 94-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease, to sexually assault female residents on at least 15 different occasions. Staff had recorded these incidents and it was noted in the man's nursing home chart that he often attempted to inappropriately touch female residents. The nursing home failed to ensure the peace of mind and protection of residents even though they knew the man was a risk for inappropriate sexual behavior.

Click here for the full article

"Who Moved My Dentures? Musings on Aging" is a new blog that has proven to be relevant, informative and straightforward. Author Anthony Cirillo, author of a book with the same title, is an elder advocate who works to assure the dignity and respect of seniors. Postings cover many topics including nursing home and long-term care information.

Click here to read the blog

An $825,000 settlement achieved by John Perconti and Patricia Gifford of Levin & Perconti was reported in the July 2007 issue of the Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter. A resident of Manorcare at Oak Lawn was admitted for dementia with a history of wandering. Due to nursing home neglect and lack of supervision, the resident left the facility in the winter without shoes or a jacket and was not found until over two hours later. The resident suffered from hypothermia before dying the next morning. The Illinois Department of Public Health cited and fined ManorCare for this incident.

A $925,000 settlement achieved by Steven Levin and Michael Bonamarte of Levin & Perconti was reported in the July 2007 issue of the Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter. The plaintiff was a resident of Manorcare at South Holland and as a result of neglect in the nursing home, the resident developed serious bed sores. The pressure sores became infected, causing the resident to suffer from osteomyelitis, sepsis, malnutrition and dehydration. As a result of these injuries, the patient ultimately died.

The governor of Illinois recently signed legislation that will require nursing homes to be equipped with air conditioning and heating in order to protect nursing home residents from extreme heat and cold. All bedrooms and common areas must be air conditioned and heated. The Illinois Department of Public Health is to monitor the plans for air conditioning and heating systems in nursing homes. The governor stated, "Illinois weather can be extreme. It's hard to imagine that senior citizens in nursing homes may not have something as fundamental as heat or air conditioning." It is hard to imagine that this law is even necessary in the first place. Lack of heating and air conditioning in such extreme weather can pose serious health risks and can be an example of nursing home abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, the rights of seniors are constantly overlooked. This law is an encouraging step in the right direction.

Click here for the full article

In a recent conference, the Virginia Board of Nursing was asked to take action upon evidence that a nursing home CNA violated state laws regulating nurse aide practice. The nurse was employed at four nursing homes in recent years: Seven Hills, ManorCare, Ruxton, and the Lexington. She had been previously diagnosed of Impulse Control Disorder and personality disorder, but was not undergoing treatment, and had also been convicted of petty larceny. The nurse committed acts such as abusing residents, threatening to kill fellow employees, verbal abuse, talking to herself about killing people in the presence of residents and omitting previous nursing homes and her criminal record on her resume. It is shocking that there is no system in place to prevent nurses like these from circulating among nursing homes in the same area. With the prevalence of nursing home abuse and neglect, there should be stricter rules governing background checks on employees.

A hospice cat at a Rhode Island nursing home has predicted the death of patients in 25 cases by curling up with them in their final hours. The facility treats people with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and other illnesses. A doctor that treats patients at the nursing home stated that, "Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there." This allows nurses to alert families when a loved one is about to die. Unfortunately, other nursing homes have to rely on the medical staff to predict when patients are showing signs that death might be imminent. But because nursing homes are understaffed, and nurses are often insufficiently trained, they cannot provide the same attention to the patients that this cat apparently can. Sorry to say, not all nursing homes can acquire a cat with such talents, and nursing staff simply does not have enough time to monitor patients and alert families when death is approaching.

Click here for the full article

HCR ManorCare Inc., a company that owns nursing homes all over the country, was recently purchased by the Carlyle Group for over $6 billion. This supports the trend of large firms acquiring eldercare companies. While this may be profitable for these firms and their investors, it remains to be seen how the nursing home and long-term care industry will be affected. Typically in these situations, in order to maximize financial opportunity, private equity firms have a tendency to implement aggressive cost-cuts, including layoffs. Nursing homes and long term care facilities are already underfunded and understaffed and this has led to a consistent amount of emerging instances of nursing home abuse and neglect. ManorCare, in particular, has had many problems providing patients with adequate care.

Click here for the full article

Ventas, a health care real estate investment trust, has seen their second quarter profit rise five fold. The trust recently purchased Sunrise Senior Living for almost $2 billion. Ventas owns hundreds of senior-housing communities and skilled-nursing facilities. Clearly, the nursing home business has been thriving as of late. However, facilities such as Sunrise Senior Living homes have had a history of abuse and neglect. Nursing home owners often blame lack of funds for understaffing and the absence of proper training. Examples such as the rise in Ventas's revenue by almost $100 million shows that there might be more to the story.

Click here for the full article

The American Association of Justice is holding a Litigating Nursing Home Cases seminar in Las Vegas. The seminar will bring together experienced plaintiff trial lawyers and medical experts to speak and share their views and information on topics necessary to achieve a full recovery of damages for nursing home abuse and neglect victims. Steven Levin of Levin & Perconti will be teaching one of the seminars.

Click here for more information