More Nursing Home Neglect Lawsuits Filed Against Extendicare
Long-term care operator Extendicare of Wisconsin has come under fire again with two new nursing home neglect lawsuits naming the company as a defendant. In Madison Circuit Court, the estate of nursing home resident Kimberly Hamilton is suing Extendicare for her wrongful death. The complaint accuses one of Extendicare’s nursing homes of negligent care, resulting in mental and physical injuries and eventually death to Hamilton.
The wrongful death lawsuit also accuses the long-term care facility of not practicing acceptable standards of care and failing to maintain a safe environment. The complaint is seeking a jury trial to determine legal and medical costs, as well as punitive damages. Some 56 complaints were received in 2007 involving 26 residents at the Kenwood nursing home where Hamilton resided.
In another nursing home neglect lawsuit, the sister of a nursing home resident who sustained brain damage when her tracheal tube got clogged with mucous is suing Extendicare. The 49-year-old patient died a few months after the incident occurred.
Norene McPherson's nursing home neglect lawsuit comes after a federal judge dismissed a class action case against Extendicare Health Services, Extendicare Homes, Inc, Fir Lane Terrance Convalescent Center, Inc., and 15 Extendicare facilities in Washington State.
The class action plaintiffs had claimed that the long-term care company had misrepresented the quality of services it could provide current and past residents who were at the facility from 2004 to 2008. McPherson’s elder abuse attorney, however, has been quick to point out that just because his client’s case was not going to be addressed as part of a class action did not mean that she still can't receive compensation via the civil court system.
In the last few years, Extendicare, which owns more than two dozen nursing homes, has received citations numerous times for serious care violations. Meantime, a number of residents and/or their families continue to file complaints targeting the long-term care company for alleged nursing negligence.
Elder Abuse Complaint Filed Against Extendicare, Fox Business, March 31, 2009
Nursing home suit alleges negligent care, Richmond Register, April 1, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Extendicare
Elder Abuse, Helpguide.org
