Jacksonville, Illinois Nursing Home Fined $50,000 for Inadequate Care Related to 74-year-old Resident’s Choking Death
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Golden Moments Senior Care Center is fighting a $50,000 fine that state officials have imposed against it over inadequate nursing care related to the choking death of an elderly patient. Adam Waeltz, 74, died on October 3, 2009.
According to the state’s inspection report, Adam Waeltz, who was developmentally disabled and had no teeth, was at risk of choking on food unless he was properly supervised and fed the proper diet, which required that certain foods be ground up. He was known for drinking and eating too fast.
Yet on October 3, Waeltz was given ham that had merely been torn into pieces. He collapsed and died at the Illinois nursing home. According to the Morgan County coroner, there were ham pieces as large as a “tangerine” in the patient’s windpipe.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is fining Golden Moments Senior Care Center because it found the assisted living facility guilty of five “Type A” violations (each one comes with a $10,000 fine) over the incident.
These are not the first fines imposed on Golden Moments. The Illinois nursing home recently agreed to pay $6,500 to settle a nursing home violation. It also originally faced a $20,000 fine for allegations that one of its nurse’s aides was being abusive toward patients. The Illinois nursing home abuse fine was later lowered. The nurse’s aide, Jessie L. Ross, was let go from the assisted living facility.
Some nursing home patients are unable to eat and drink without help or supervision. This is why nursing homes must be mindful of each resident’s dietary and nutritional needs. Failure to make sure that a patient gets all of the nutrients and liquids he/she needs or that foods are properly processed before they are given to certain residents is nursing home negligence and can prove fatal.
Jacksonville nursing home fined $50,000, BeHealthySpringfield.com, February 3, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Illinois Department of Public Health
To schedule a free case evaluation, contact Chicago nursing home neglect lawyer Steve Malman.
