November 19, 2010

UIC Hospital Board Approves $16.2 Million Medical Malpractice Settlement

Part of $17.7 M Settlement Obtained by Levin & Perconti for Brain Injured Client

On Thursday evening, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a $16.2 million settlement, part of a $17.7 million settlement, for our client, George Nissen, who suffered a devastating brain injury while under the care of nursing staff at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center (UIC). Chicago injury lawyer Steve Levin, along with associate Margaret Battersby, represented George, now 47, in the medical malpractice lawsuit.

George, a former Stone Park, IL police officer, sustained a brain stem herniation when UIC hospital staff failed to monitor his intracranial pressure (ICP) during an external ventricular drain (EVD) challenge. As a result of the nursing staff’s negligence, he now suffers from quadriplegia, cannot eat , and can only communicate to family, friends and caregivers through eye movements and head shaking.

The lawsuit alleged that during this challenge, nursing staff failed to properly monitor George's intracranial pressure. During an EVD challenge, nursing staff must closely monitor a patient’s ICP to ensure that it does not exceed acceptable limits. When a patient’s ICP level gets too high, a nurse must notify a physician. Throughout the night, George's ICP was at dangerous levels, but his caregivers failed to recognize these changes in his neurological condition.

“As a result of this negligence, George’s ICP level dangerously elevated, his neurological status declined, and his physicians were not notified until he had already suffered catastrophic injuries,” said attorney Steven Levin.

“The settlement was reached on the eve of trial,” added Steve. “Now that the Board has approved the settlement, the family must wait for the Court to approve the settlement order. This should occur in the coming weeks.” In addition to the $16.2 million paid by UIC, a defendant nursing agency will also pay $1.5 million.

Click on the link to read the full press release announcing this medical malpractice settlement.

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November 16, 2010

Negligence Lawsuit Filed Against Chicago-Area Nursing Home: ManorCare at Elk Grove Village

Two of our Chicago nursing home lawyers at Levin & Perconti filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit today against ManorCare at Elk Grove Village. The suit was filed on behalf of a nursing home resident victimized by the facility’s inadequate care—Margaret Mock of Schaumburg.

Margaret was 76 when she was admitted to ManorCare in August of 2009, about 15 months ago. She decided to move into the facility to rehabilitate from recent surgery she underwent following a fall at her home. She had broken her wrist, elbow, and hip in the accident. Before the home fall Margaret was able to walk on her own with a walker.

The nursing staff at ManorCare was alerted to the fact that Margaret was at risk for a fall. Obviously because she was at the nursing home specifically to recover from a previous fall, it was imperative that the nursing home staff ensure that Margaret not suffer another fall. Unfortunately, the facility did not that that responsibility very seriously—no care plan was created to safeguard her against the risk of fall. At the very least, it would have been normal protocol for a process to be put in place to transfer her safely to and from her wheelchair.

The lack of care taken ultimately led to a serious fall only a bit over a month after arriving at ManorCare. On September 26, 2009 Margaret fell while a nursing assistant improperly transferred her from her bed to wheelchair. The consequences of the fall were severe. She broke her leg in two places, and was unable to undergo surgery to repair the injury because of her already weakened condition.


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September 2, 2010

Family Files Nursing Home Neglect Lawsuit Against ManorCare Health Services

Two of our attorneys, Steven Levin and Scott Richard, filed a lawsuit against ManorCare Health Services-Hinsdale today following the wrongful death of Dolores “Dee” Howorth. Dee died less than a month after moving into the Hinsdale nursing home and being admitted to the facility’s dementia unit. She suffered from Alzheimer’s but was alert and active—she remained a lively, integral part of her family. In fact, her son Hank Howorth and his wife Chrissie specifically chose the facility at ManorCare because they wanted their mother to be given what they assumed would be specialized care for her dementia.

Unfortunately, specialized care was the last thing Dee would receive at the facility. Within the first four days, ManorCare doctors prescribed Dee two medications: Ativan and Seroquel. On top of that, the facility immediately assigned Dee to a wheel-chair with a lap restraint.

It wasn’t long before the family noticed clear changes in their once lively family member. When Hank and Chrissie first visited, Dee seemed overmedicated, drowsy, and was constantly slumped in her wheelchair. Hank questioned nursing home staff about his mother’s state at the facility, but he was assured that her condition was only temporary.

Sadly, there was nothing temporary about it. Staff members at the facility failed to properly hydrate Dee, and failed to notice her clear change in condition. Dee lost 16 pounds in just over two weeks, and she showed clear signs of dehydration—dry skin, chalky mouth, and trouble swallowing. By mid-April, less than a month after arriving at the facility, Dee died at a local hospital from acute renal failure caused by dehydration.

Dee is survived by two grown sons, Hank and Thomas, and six grandchildren. “After my mother’s death, it was business as usual for the nursing home, but for our family it was devastating,” said Hank. “We need to hold ManorCare accountable because the nursing home robbed her of precious time with her children and grandchildren.”

Attorney Steve Levin explains the nexus of the lawsuit: “ManorCare had a duty to protect her well-being and dignity but neglected to monitor her condition or provide her with even the basic necessities, causing both Dee and her family to suffer needlessly.”

See further coverage of this nursing home lawsuit by following the links below:

Suburban Life

Chicago Tribune

Trib Local Hinsdale

Chicago Breaking News

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June 6, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Lawyer Settles Abuse Lawsuit

Chicago nursing home lawyer Susan Novosad of Levin & Perconti helped the family of a victim of nursing home abuse in their settlement against the Mercy Health Care Rehabilitation Center, securing a $690,000 settlement for the 87-year-old victim's family recently.

The victim was initially admitted to the nursing home after suffering a stroke that caused her some left-sided weakness. When she entered the nursing home she required supervision and needed assistance with activities. She was known to be a fall risk. However, despite the nursing home’s knowledge of her fall risk, they allowed her to fall. She suffered a right femur fracture which was treated with a brace. While still in the nursing home’s care, she suffered a skin breakdown from the brace rubbing against her leg. This breakdown still went untreated by the nursing home staff and the victim developed Osteomyelitis. The combination of the fracture and the infection contributed to the victim’s death seven months later, according to the settlement report.

The nursing home negligence complaint alleged that the defendant nursing home failed to appropriately develop, implement or revise a care plan to address the decedent’s fall risk and failed to ensure that the decedent received proper supervision to prevent falls. It also stated that after her fall, the nursing home failed to provide preventative measures to avoid the development of skin breakdown, and failed to provide the necessary treatment and services to promote the healing of the decedent’s skin breakdown. If you believe that a nursing home is not addressing your loved one’s risk for falls, we recommend that you consult with staff to address the preventions they are using to prevent falls. If your loved one endures a serious injury in a nursing home fall, consult a nursing home lawyer.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Levin & Perconti in the News, Verdicts and Settlements

May 23, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Lawyers Settle Neglect Case

Chicago nursing home attorney Susan Novosad of Levin & Perconti helped a victim of nursing home negligence settle a lawsuit against Manorcare Health Services, Inc. in Libertyville, Illinois. HRC Manor Care at Libertyville settled the nursing home lawsuit for $650,000 with the former nursing home resident. The victim was first admitted to the nursing home in April 2007 for rehabilitation after spinal surgery. While the staff did develop a care plan, they failed to include any individualized approaches to prevent pressure ulcers. About a month after her admission to the nursing home, employees discovered a very large necrotic sacral pressure ulcer and she had to be transferred to a local hospital for treatment. The nursing home victim home injuries included an infected pressure ulcers and osteomyelitis which resulted in surgery and a prolonged long-term care stay.

Residents in nursing homes are susceptible to developing pressure ulcers because many are in wheelchairs or are immobile. If nursing home staff fails to turn or reposition residents on a regular basis, residents may develop pressures ulcers. Staff must also frequently check the skin condition of residents who are at risk for pressure sores to ensure that sores are not forming. Prevention is the key, as they are very difficult to treat. If a nursing home does everything they can to prevent pressure sores and a sore forms, the home has a duty to treat the injury to try to prevent it from worsening. To learn more, visit the Mayo Clinic's page on pressure sore prevention.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Levin & Perconti in the News

March 4, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Steve Levin Quoted about “Angel of Death” Case

The Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers of Levin & Perconti filed an amended complaint in the McHenry County Circuit Court yesterday in a lawsuit against Woodstock Residence. Our attorneys represent the family of Virginia Cole in a civil lawsuit against the nursing home and two former employees. The original complaint alleges that the nursing home and named employees administered lethal doses of morphine that led to Cole’s death at the age of 78. The amended complaint adds the medical director at the time of Cole’s death as a defendant, alleging that the director was negligent in his care of Cole. The complaint alleges that the medical director diagnosed Cole incorrectly, neglected to determine if she was in pain before he ordered morphine and failed to make sure the nursing home was handling controlled substances, such as morphine, properly.

According to Illinois nursing home attorney Steve Levin, the lawsuit does not allege that the named medical director was aware that employees were giving Cole and other nursing home residents unneeded doses of morphine, a narcotic pain killer that is used to treat severe pain. The medical director was also named in a wrongful death suit that was filed on behalf of another Woodstock resident whose death is in question.

In addition to the civil wrongful death lawsuit, a criminal lawsuit has also been filed against the two former employees. We will continue to provide news and information on the “Angel of Death” case in McHenry County as it becomes available. To read the Northwest Herald’s coverage of the nursing home lawsuit, click on the hyperlink.

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Posted In: "Angel of Death" case, Illinois Nursing Homes, Levin & Perconti in the News

March 1, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers: Wandering and Elopement Causes Great Worries in Illinois Nursing Homes

Wandering and elopement has become a great problem in nursing homes throughout the country. When patients are not properly monitored they can leave the securities of their facilities and find themselves without guidance in the outside community.

The Chicago nursing home lawyers at Levin & Perconti have filed many lawsuits on behalf of the victims of wandering and elopement and have won favorable verdicts. For example, our attorneys helped a victim obtain a $950,000 settlement against the American Baptist Homes of the Midwest. This case involved an 85-year-old woman with dementia who was allowed to wander outside and freeze to death. This same fact pattern occurred in a case against Manorcare Health Services. In that case, Levin & Perconti helped the family of a 75-year-old victim receive an $825,000 settlement. Once again, the victim was wandering in the bitter cold and died of hypothermia. Wandering unfortunately has become all too common in nursing homes.

A nursing home can take measures to minimize elopement exposure. The first way is to establish a written elopement risk-management plan. They can also establish written screening criteria for identifying residents who may become potential elopers. By keeping normal exit alarms and making sure that all stairwells are alarmed, most nursing homes can help reduce wandering. Finally, the staff should be quick to investigate any activated door alarms. Nursing home staff should be trained to closely monitor the whereabouts of all of their patients. To learn all the ways that nursing homes can diminish wandering and elopement please click the link.

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Posted In: Levin & Perconti in the News, Wandering

February 26, 2010

“Angel of Death” Defendant Receives Assistance in Nursing Home Neglect Case

The Northwest Herald recently reported that the State of Illinois will give Penny Whitlock $10,000 to pay for a defense expert witness. Whitlock is accused allowing another staff member to administer fatal doses of morphine to residents at Woodstock Residence, a Woodstock, IL nursing home that is now under new ownership. Recently, the defendant testified that she has spent over $100,000 to defend herself in court. The State of Illinois’ financial assistance would pay for an expert forensic toxicologist to testify.

The Daily Herald reports that Whitlock faces five counts of criminal neglect and two counts for obstructing justice. She is accused of failing to report that another staff member, Marty Himebaugh, was giving residents high doses of morphine. She is also accused of allowing Himebaugh to administer the drugs. The McHenry County prosecutor asked that she be held responsible for paying the county back if she is convicted.

The Illinois nursing home neglect attorneys at Levin & Perconti represent the family of one of the residents whose death is in question. Our attorneys filed a civil lawsuit against the nursing home, alleging that the nursing home's administration was aware that staff was administering morphine to residents without an order or outside prescribed parameters. As a result, our 78-year-old client died. We will continue to update our nursing home blog with related stories as both the civil and criminal cases unfold. To read the Daily Herald’s report on the Woodstock Residence case follow the link.

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Posted In: "Angel of Death" case, Levin & Perconti in the News, Woodstock Residence

February 8, 2010

Chicago, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Steven Levin on Nursing Home Safety

Chicago nursing home attorney Steven Levin wrote to the Chicago Tribune to praise them for their commitment to uncovering nursing home abuse. He applauded the Tribune’s efforts in raising public awareness of Chicago nursing home abuse. Attorney Levin believes that there is a critical need for adequate staffing in nursing homes to protect residents from harm or abuse. When nursing-home owners focus on census over patient care, nursing home negligence ensues. Care workers must be sufficiently trained to create an environment void of physical and sexual abuse. Steven Levin urged readers to contact their respective state representatives to demand legislation that provides minimum staffing standards for Illinois nursing homes. This will help avoid Chicago nursing home abuse. To read the entire letter to the editor, please check out the link.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse, Chicago Nursing Homes, Compromised Care: Tribune Investigation, Levin & Perconti in the News

January 14, 2010

Chicago Lawyers Levin & Perconti File Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit against The Renaissance at 87th

Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys Steven Levin and Margaret Battersby of Levin & Perconti filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit against the Renaissance at 87th nursing home in Chicago. The nursing home lawsuit alleges that the 92-year-old African-American woman died because the nursing home failed to properly care for her gastric tube. In December 2007, the woman received a gastric tube to receive food and medications and it malfunctioned. In May 2009, the resident’s g-tube fell out and the nursing home staff had to insert a Foley catheter to replace the tube.

The resident’s daughter then noticed changes in her mother’s condition and behavior. When the daughter brought this to the nursing home staff’s attention they ignored her complaint. On June 1, the Director of Nursing immediately recognized her urgent medical care. She was transferred to the hospital and died on June 2. The Illinois Department of Public Health launched an investigation and cited the Renaissance at 87th. Nursing home neglect lawyer Steven Levin stated that The Renaissance at 87th violated the Nursing Home Care Act by failing to provide the proper care to prevent the g-tube from malfunctioning. He added that as a nursing home lawyer, he oftentimes sees nursing home owners put profits before their resident’s needs. The resident’s daughter visited her mother daily and found that the staff had not bathed her or changed her undergarments. Many family members could not communicate their disapproval for the nursing care and had no advocates to speak on behalf of them. The Renaissance at 87th is among the many homes in Illinois that have a one star rating, the lowest possible, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Nursing Home Compare Website.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Residents and Family Members, Chicago Nursing Homes, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Abuse, Selecting a home, Wrongful Death

January 10, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Lawyers Reach Record Settlement Against Coles County Home

The Chicago nursing home lawyers at Levin & Perconti recently reached the largest nursing home settlement in a case against a nursing home in Coles, County IL. The Prairie View Center in Charleston, IL and a doctor agreed to pay $700,000 to the family of a 43-year-old victim who died from injuries he suffered while he was a resident a the nursing home. The victim was admitted to Prairie View Care Center on March 19, 2002. He suffered from severe cognitive impairments and was dependent on the nursing home staff for all of is daily activities. His impairments also made him unable to communicate his needs to the nursing home staff. In the two months he spent in the nursing home before he was discharged he developed a massive infected stage IV bedsore on his sacrum. The pressure wound was so deep that his sacral bone was visible. This caused his overall condition to deteriorate and he was hospitalized. Six months later he died after his inability to bounce back from the pressure wound. Nursing home lawyer Michael Bonamarte stated the nursing home failed to prevent the progression of the victim’s sacral pressure sore, and he eventually died from complications related to his injury. In 2006, Prairie View Care Center was bought by new owners who changed the name of the nursing home. Chicago attorney Steven Levin stated that it is common for nursing home owners to own multiple nursing homes, many of which are far from where they are located. Without oversight nursing homes administrators are not in touch with the day-to-day happenings in the nursing home. This causes nursing home abuse to go unnoticed.

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Posted In: Client Tell Extras, Illinois Nursing Homes, Incidents, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

January 9, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers Reach Settlement for Bedrail Entrapment Death

Levin and Perconti has reached a settlement with a south suburban nursing home after a victim died when her neck became entrapped between her bedrail and mattress at the nursing home. Attorneys Steven Levin and Michael Bonamarte represented the family and reached a $570,000 settlement for the adult grandchildren of a 99-year-old resident. The client’s grandmother was admitted to the facility on December 6, 2007, after being hospitalized with seizers. According to the nursing home lawyers, bedrails were placed on her bed upon admittance. On January 27, 2008 a nurse was making her nightly rounds and discovered the client’s grandmother on the floor next to her bed with her head entrapped between the bedrail and mattress. While healthcare professionals tried to revive her, her injuries were too severe and she died hours later. The autopsy confirmed that the client’s grandmother died from compressional asphyxia when her neck became entrapped between the bedrail and mattress. The compression from the entrapment was so severe that in addition to cutting off her oxygen supply, it fractured a bone in her neck. The coroner stated that her death was similar to strangulation or hanging. The nursing home lawyers argued that the nursing home placed her in danger of serious harm by using bedrails. Nursing home lawyer Michael Bonamarte stated that it was a terrifying way to die and noted that this could easily be avoided. Chicago lawyer Steven Levin added that the nursing home failed to consult the decedent’s family members regarding the use of bedrails. After the wrongful death, the Illinois Department of Public Health cited the facility for improper nursing care and resident injury, fining them $10,000.

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Posted In: Client Tell Extras, Illinois Nursing Homes, Bedrails, Incidents, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Abuse

October 13, 2009

Cook County Jury Awards $1 Million Verdict in Nursing Home Negligence Case

A $1 million jury verdict was entered in a nursing home negligence case against Lee Manor Nursing Home in Des Plaines, Illinois. The case involved the death of a nursing home resident who exited a window of the nursing home and died soon after from fall-related injuries. The wife and son of the decedent were represented by nursing home neglect attorneys Bryan Waldman and Patricia Gifford of Levin & Perconti.

The victim entered Lee Manor on July 23, 2003. Years before his admission to the nursing home, he was diagnosed as suffering from chronic paranoid schizophrenia and is severely blind. The victim required ongoing supervision and monitoring by nursing home staff. He was placed on a secured floor where the doors were alarmed and the elevators were keyed. However, the nursing home allowed the windows to open 8 and 1/8th inches, providing the victim an avenue to exit. On April 21, 2004, less than one year after he entered, the man fell from a window in his room on the fifth floor of the nursing home and died as a result of his injuries. The jury found nursing home negligence when the nursing home failed to prevent the victim from falling out of the window.

The Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers of Levin & Perconti are committed to protecting and vindicating the rights of nursing home negligence victims. Please contact the firm at (312) 332-2872 or click here to consult an Illinois lawyer.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Cook County Nursing Home, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Attorneys, Nursing Home Negligence, Verdicts and Settlements, Wrongful Death

October 5, 2009

Jeff Kelly-Lowenstein Receives NCCNHR Public Service Award

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care issues a Public Service Award to a person or entity whose work has profoundly expanded coverage and public understanding of long-term care issues. This year one of the recipients is Jeff Kelly-Lowenstein and The Chicago Reporter, for their work showing widespread racial disparity in Illinois nursing homes and the human impact that is felt. Kelly-Lowenstein investigated the racial disparities in Illinois nursing homes, which “explained what these disparities actually mean to residents and made the issue understandable in human terms.” The nursing home article mentioned Levin & Perconti’s case against International Village in which a nurse failed to change a patient’s oxygen supply. The patient died shortly after he went an entire day without breathing on the ventilator. Jeff Kelly-Lowenstein’s article was a critical look at nursing home abuse in Illinois. To read more about the award, please click the link.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Chicago Nursing Homes, Community Involvement, Levin & Perconti in the News

September 29, 2009

Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Steven Levin Discusses Nursing Home Negligence

There was a short period when nursing home care was improving. However, LawyersandSettlements.com reports that bad behavior is returning to the nursing home business. Chicago nursing home abuse lawyer Steven Levin was quoted on the website stating that, “Unfortunately, conditions for nursing residents are once again on the decline.” He stated that there is an epidemic of nursing homes with untrained, insufficient staff and transient staff. Attorney Levin, whose firm handles hundreds of cases of nursing home neglect, stated that profits are being made at the expense of patient care. “Nursing homes are simply unable to care for residents and nursing homes are knowingly admitting residents they know they can’t look after,” Levin adds. "Sometimes doctors or lawyers are negligent and make mistakes, but what nursing home operators are doing is institutionalized neglect.” Levin & Perconti has recently filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit against Alden Northmoor Rehabilitation Care Center in Chicago on behalf of a 77-year-old woman with dementia, knowingly propensity to wander and swallow unusual objects. While at Alden Northmoor, the victim swallowed a rubber glove twice and had to undergo bowel surgery to have the glove removed. Attorney Levin stated that it is amazing that the staff would allow something like this to happen twice. Levin & Perconti has filed suit under the Illinois Nursing Home Act, which states that every resident of a nursing home has the right to be free of neglect. Levin believes that nursing homes have corporately structured themselves so as to be essentially “judgment” proof. He believes that since many nursing homes carry no liability insurance they solicit residents without knowing how to care for them. Levin hopes that a new law will require nursing homes to carry $1 million in liability insurance. To read more about nursing home negligence, please click the link.

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Posted In: Alden Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect, Chicago Nursing Homes, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Attorneys

September 21, 2009

Chicago Nursing Home Attorney Steven Levin to Speak at AAJ Seminar

Steven Levin of Levin & Perconti, will speak on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) Litigating Nursing Home Cases Seminar. Attorney Levin will speak to other AAJ members about "Moving from Medical Malpractice to Nursing Home- Differences to Watch For”. Levin & Perconti advocates for victims of nursing home abuse and neglect and medical malpractice. His talk will take place at 7:30 a.m. at the Hotel Allegro in Chicago. Personal injury attorneys and experts will be in attendance at the two-day Litigating Nursing Home Cases Seminar. The event will give trial lawyers the opportunity to share their experiences with each other. They will also cover current news and legal developments in the field of nursing home litigation. The seminar is open to AAJ regular, sustaining, life and President’s Club members only. To register for the seminar, please click this link.

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Posted In: Elder Law Attorneys, Levin & Perconti in the News

September 14, 2009

Levin & Perconti Settles $700,000 Nursing Home Lawsuit after Wrongful Death

Prairie View Care Center in Charleston, IL recently agreed to pay a record $700,000 to the family of a 43-year-old man who died from injuries he suffered while a resident at the nursing home. The settlement is the largest reported settlement against a Coles County nursing home. Steven Levin and Michael Bonamarte of Levin & Perconti in Chicago represented the victim’s family in the nursing home negligence and wrongful death case. The settlement was reached following settlement conferences between the parties and the Cook County Circuit Court. The former owners of the nursing home are located in Skokie, Illinois.

The victim was admitted to the Prairie View Care Center on March 19, 2002. He suffered severe cognitive impairments and was dependent on nursing home staff for all of his major activities including turning and repositioning. From his admission through his discharge on May 12, 2002, he became severely malnourished, dehydrated and developed a massive infected Stage IV bed sore on his sacrum. The pressure wound was so deep that Donny’s sacral bone was visible. The injuries were the result of both nursing home negligence and the doctor’s failure to provide adequate medical and personal care to the victim. His injuries lead to his decline in his overall condition and his ultimate death in November of 2002. “Prairie View Care Center and Dr. Johnson both failed to prevent the progression of Donny’s sacral pressure sore, and he eventually died from complications related to his injury,” said attorney Steve Levin. “Poor care in nursing homes is a statewide problem. Anyone who has a loved one in a nursing home needs to be aware of their loved one’s rights and also needs to seek legal representation from an experienced trial lawyer when it is suspected that those rights have been violated.” If you have been the victim of nursing home negligence, consult a nursing home lawyer.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Coles County Nursing Home, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Abuse, Verdicts and Settlements

August 8, 2009

Levin & Perconti Files Nursing Home Negligence on Behalf of Resident against Alden Northmoor

Attorneys Steven Levin and Margaret Battersby of Levin & Perconti filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County against Alden Northmoor Rehabilitation and Care Center in Chicago, Illinois. The complaint was filed on behalf of 77-year-old Mary Clifton of Chicago, Illinois for the injuries she sustained at Alden Northmoor. While she was a resident, nursing home staff failed to properly monitor the victim and she swallowed a surgical glove on two separate occasions. After swallowing the gloves, Mary had to undergo two small bowel resections, enduring pain and suffering. The surgeries took a toll on her physical condition and she is now immobile. The nursing home negligence resulted in her inability to retain nutrients. The victim was admitted to Alden Northmoor with a diagnosis of dementia. When she was admitted in October of 2007, nursing home staff noted her to be at risk for wandering and odd behaviors due to her dementia. On April 29, 2008 Mary was allowed to swallow a surgical glove at Alden Northmoor due to poor supervision. She was transferred to a local hospital where she underwent a small bowel resection. Upon her return, the nursing staff still failed to develop a care plan to address the victim’s propensity for putting foreign objects into her mouth. Three months later, she again swallowed a surgical glove and had to undergo a second small bowel resection surgery to remove the foreign object. It was at this time that her family removed her from Alden Northmoor. As a result of her injuries, Mary has experienced decreased mobility and is at risk for further digestive problems including a decreased ability to digest nutrients and dehydration.

“After her first surgery, Alden Northmoor should have created a specific care plan to address her odd behaviors, such as wandering and putting foreign object into her mouth,” said Steve Levin. “Despite the known risk that Mary had put foreign objects in her mouth on another occasion, the nursing home failed to address this behavior or properly monitor Mary and as a result, she had to undergo a second surgery. These surgeries took a serious toll on Mary’s overall condition and now she is immobile and faces an increased risk of future medical complications with her digestive system.”

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Alden Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect, Chicago, Chicago Nursing Homes, Levin & Perconti in the News

June 30, 2009

Expose shows that Quality of Care in Black Seniors’ Nursing Home is Drastically Behind that of White Seniors

While Cynthia and Earl Wade look through a photo album, they remember their mother who was rushed to an emergency room less than 10 days into her stay at the International Nursing and Rehab Center. Their mother had explicit instructions on her medical chart not to administer dialysis through her left arm. However, the nurse ignored these explicit directions and inserted a needle into her left arm, sending her to the nursing home. Unfortunately, Luzella Wade could not recover from her injuries, and wrongfully died. Her attorney Steven Levin filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family in Cook County for the wrongful death of their mother. However, the story goes deeper, when the Chicago Reporter investigations revealed that this type of nursing home negligence occurs more in black nursing homes than those in white. In fact, Illinois has the highest number of poorly rated black nursing homes nationwide. Additionally nearly 85 percent of black nursing homes got the lowest rating for nurse staffing. To read more about the inadequacies in nursing homes, please read the Chicago Reporter.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Chicago Nursing Homes, Incidents, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Abuse, Selecting a home, Wrongful Death

June 29, 2009

Chicago Nursing Home Attorney Steven Levin and Clients Discussed in Nursing Home Negligence Feature

Chicago personal injury lawyer Steve Levin of Levin & Perconti was featured in a Chicago Reporter article that highlights the differences in care received in black seniors’ homes when compared to white seniors. Attorney Levin is representing Cynthia and Earl Wade in their suit against International Nursing and Rehab Center. Since 2004, the nursing home has been sued 18 times in the Cook County Circuit Court. The article focuses on the difference in care that seniors receive in minority care centers than that given in predominately white nursing homes.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Chicago Nursing Homes, Incidents, Levin & Perconti in the News

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The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.

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