Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

The family of Janice Maier intends to sue the Brookdale Senior Living Center for nursing home negligence. As of Wednesday, the 77-year-old woman was still in an ICU.

Maier sustained serious injuries after an intruder to the assisted living facility beat and choked her. The man accused of attacking her is Daniel Villareal, 25. However, Maier’s family is blaming the nursing home for failing to protect her and not rescuing her after the assault.

The beating occurred while she slept. Villareal and Maier do not know each other.

Police say that Villareal walked into the nursing home at around 4am through an open back door. Their report says law enforcement officers had to tell the nursing home workers to search the rooms for Maier.

Villareal is charged with Injury to an Elderly Person. He told the authorities that he was frustrated and angry and wanted to choke someone. He kicked Maier in the head about 15 times.

Nursing Home Negligence
Nursing homes are supposed to ensure that their facility is safe and secure. This means taking the necessary safety measures to keep intruders and burglars out and ensuring that the nursing home workers who are hired and the residents that are admitted to the facility are not a danger to others.

Inadequate security at an assisted living facility can result in violent crimes against patients. It can also allow nursing home resident that have a tendency to wander to leave the premise without supervision, which can increase the chances of the patient sustaining a personal injury during a fall accident, pedestrian accident, or another type of injury incident.

Family holding nursing home accountable for the choking of their elderly relative, KENS5.com, October 21, 2009

Woman, 77, choked at nursing home, MySanAntonio.com, October 11, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Home Overview, Medicare

Eldercare, Department of Health and Human Services