Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

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.

An assisted living facility crime occurred where a caregiver was charged with rape of a nursing home resident. In a case of nursing home abuse and nursing home rape the charges are taken very serious by police and investigators. Personal injuries and a miscarriage lead investigators to determine that a nursing home caregiver was responsible for the rape. Nursing home lawsuits and other legal options are being explored by the County where the nursing home crime occurred. To read this shocking story click here.

Throughout the country, nursing home patients and others who give power of attorney to trusted friends and family members are finding the power is abused. The power of attorney is supposed to provide a safety net for senior citizens. However, the authority that comes from power of attorney is essentially unregulated, creating enormous potential for abuse. Statistics are lacking but experts believe senior citizens are losing millions every year as a result of the abuse of the power.

Usually, the power is given to trusted family members, friends, and respected professionals such as attorneys. Unfortunately, even children abuse the power by selling off assets for their own personal gain, failing to pay bills and expenses, and even mortgaging houses to live a high-rolling lifestyle. Often, these selfish decisions by power of attorney holders result in seniors declaring bankruptcy. These problems all stem from the enormous amount of unchecked power given to those with power of attorney.

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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.

Police are investigating a nursing home rape case. Nursing home abuse and Nursing home neglect are serious problems nationwide but nursing home crimes raising to the level of seriousness of a rape are rare. A nursing home failure to supervise its residents may be a cause of this alleged incident. To see the full story click here.

An 81 year-old man suffering from Alzheimer’s was trapped in a van on Friday during a heat wave as result of his adult day care facility's negligence. John McCallin, a patient at SarahCare adult day care facility, was trapped inside the facility’s van for two and a half hours, just outside SarahCare’s front doors. McCallin, barely able to speak and completely unable to free himself from the van, sat inside the vehicle as the temperature outside rose from 84 to 88 degrees. Eventually, the driver of the van realized his mistake after he returned to the vehicle to begin his afternoon run. At that point, an employee called 911. Thankfully, McCallin survived the ordeal, but it is as of yet unknown the extent of any injuries he might have. The driver, 69 himself, was fired and is facing a charge of gross neglect. McCallin has began attending SarahCare again, despite the incident. There is no word yet whether a nursing home abuse and negligence lawsuit will be filed on behalf of McCallin for the nursing home's negligence.

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An owner and operator of four personal care homes that provided “appalling” care reached a $700,000 settlement agreement whereby she agreed never to operate any such facility. Following the closing of the last of her four personal care facilities, the owner reached a settlement that is merely a drop in the bucket for the multimillionaire, especially considering the severity of the allegations.

The owner and her managers were accused of horrible treatment while siphoning federal assistance funds designed for residents for their own personal use, including social security, disability, and veterans benefits. U.S. attorneys alleged that the owner’s facilities were unsanitary, structurally unsafe, provided insufficient food, nutrition, clothing and bedding. Where residents were ill and needed medical assistance, the facility’s staff failed to respond or even call for medical assistance. Furthermore, the facilities were chronically understaffed, including one home that was cited twice in three months for not having enough staff to provide at least one hour of personal care per day to its mobile residents.

The settlement in this case appears to be well short of many expectations given the atrocious care and the apparent ill-gotten wealth of the owner. She has a portfolio of multimillion-dollar homes in several states, an aircraft, and is currently renovating a gated estate, allegedly using funds that were obtained by virtue of providing substandard care. Unfortunately, this demonstrates the lack of oversight in many states where, for example, 75% of personal care facilities are operating without a license.

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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.

Those Seeking Trust & Solace in Nursing Homes Often Disappointed
Nursing home complaints are sweeping the nation as Nursing Homes fail to provide adequate care and prompt responses to patient’s medical needs. The struggles faced in such homes and nursing home blunders associated with patient care have been chronicled extensively. Many nursing home failures lead to personal injuries, medication errors and even death. To read stories and see photos on those who have experienced nursing home deaths and paraplegic nursing home care errors click here.

Following gross negligence by a nursing home staff, a resident admitted for short-term rehabilitation at the facility had her leg amputated. The resident was admitted following surgery on a fractured ankle. The nursing home failed to take the resident to a follow-up appointment on time, and when they finally did take her, surgeons discovered that her wound was not healing correctly. A physician then ordered that the wound be monitored for infection and treated daily. The resident was also to receive an antibiotic.

The nursing home failed to follow these relatively simple orders. As a result, less than one week after the follow-up appointment, the resident was hospitalized and her leg subsequently amputated. The facility was cited for failure to meet professional standards of care and was fined. However, this incident is indicative of a broader issue with the low level of care provided by many nursing homes throughout the country demonstrating a need to secure residents’ rights.

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A new survey has revealed that nurses working at nursing homes feel that there are fewer staff members than needed. Nearly three-quarters of nurses surveyed declared that at the nursing homes and hospitals they worked for, the staff numbers were inadequate. A lack of staff members can lead to neglect, and even abuse, as recognized by those surveyed, half of whom reported feeling that quality of care is on the decline. The problem of inadequate numbers compounds itself as more nurses leave their positions because of concerns about sub-par care resulting from the low numbers of staff. Most shockingly, little more than half of the nurses felt comfortable about the idea of one of their loved ones being treated at their respective facilities. This announcement by nurses shows that there is a rising danger of hospital injuries and nursing home injuries, especially medication errors, wrongful death, and other nursing errors as existing staff members are unable to keep up with high demands which can lead to medical mistakes.

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A nursing home has closed its doors voluntarily after five months on a federal list that catalogues the worst nursing homes in America. The federal list contains nursing homes that have repeat violations and that routinely lag behind federal standards. This home had been on the list for five months and had a record of nursing home abuse and neglect. The original corporate owner of the nursing home transferred its interest to a new party before the nursing home ownership corporation’s creator plead guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy relating to his ownership of more than 70 nursing homes.

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A hidden camera has caught nursing home abuse and neglect on tape and the footage was used to prove that a nursing home resident’s pressure sores were not adequately cared for. Per the doctor’s orders for pressure sore treatment, the resident was supposed to be turned every two hours. The cameras revealed to the family that the nursing home staff had not been turning and repositioning him and that the nursing home staff had lied on the charts. The state has responded by revoking the corporation’s business license and banning them from doing business in the state. Other complaints against the corporation include failure to maintain feeding tubes, nursing home residents being left to lie in their own waste for hours, and falsifying paperwork to cover up violations.

See the news story here.

A Hillcrest-West resident has had her leg amputated after extensive nursing home abuse and neglect. The resident’s leg initially suffered from deep pressure sores which worsened because of the nursing home resident’s malnutrition. Apparently, nursing home staff neglected some of her feedings and failed to administer proper foods to help the pressure sore heal. The treating physician in the case said that this pressure sore and nursing home abuse and neglect was one of the worst cases he had seen in practice. Proper wound care and appropriate nutrition are essential to healing pressure sores. Unfortunately, in this case the pressure sore went to the bone and nearly caused system-wide sepsis.

Read the story here.

A southern assisted living facility may now face a state investigation after the police arrested a 54 year old man who resides at the facility for nursing home attempted rape of 89 year old resident of the facility. Police records show 273 police calls from the facility over the last two years, resulting in 30 crime reports. This incident of nursing home abuse shows the dangers that fellow nursing home residents can pose each other. Often, nursing homes do not screen incoming residents for previous crimes and criminal backgrounds. Furthermore, this story shows that it is not always nursing home staff that are accused of nursing home abuse and neglect; residents are often the source of nursing home sexual abuse.

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A nursing home in Canton, Ohio has lost its federal funding for having too many violations. According to inspectors, each time they went to the facility there was another problem. Unlike large corporate facilities, many smaller homes survive on Medicare and Medicaid to supplement what individual residents can pay to live in the home. This facility had a troubling list of violations including a patient not getting blood thinning medication until five days after the doctor prescribed it, a resident reported an instance of patient on patient rape and the doctor was not notified until 11 hours afterwards, a patient had severely matted and soiled hair resulting from his hair only being washed two or three times in six months at the facility, and old, used syringes lying around in patient rooms.

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Former nursing home administrator has filed a lawsuit saying she was fired because she complained that the executive director’s 91 year-old father was sexually assaulting a demented nursing home residence. Her lawyer states that this is a classic whistleblower case where the administrator was fired for sticking up for a patient suffering nursing home sexual abuse.

According to the lawsuit, both the nursing home’s medical director and a licensed psychologist recommended that the 91 year-old be supervised 24 hours a day to monitor his behavior, but the executive director rejected the idea.

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Recently, lawmakers debated whether or not to limit damages on nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuits. Families of victims of nursing home abuse and neglect traveled to Capitol Hill to voice their opposition against a bill that would limit damages from nursing home abuse lawsuits. The bill would have placed a $300,000 cap on any lawsuit involving death or injury at a nursing home

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