Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Federal officials say that since Sunday, they are no longer providing Medicaid funding to the Wincrest Nursing Center. The decision comes after federal and state investigators documented incidents of patient violence, alcohol and drug abuse, and other serious issues. That these problems exist at an assisted living facility is Chicago nursing home neglect.

The North Side facility is an 80-bed nursing home that mainly houses mentally ill patients. It could chose to stay open while waiting for a new buyer or re-entrance to the Medicaid system, but because it gets nearly 99% percent of its revenue from the federal government, it will likely have to shut down. Despite the cessation of funding, Medicaid will still give the nursing home money for some patients until they are relocated or for up to 30 days.

Other problems that inspectors found at the Chicago nursing home:
• Patient wandering
• Inadequate nursing care
• One resident went into the neighborhood and traded sexual favors for drugs.

While Wincrest has addressed some of the issues over the last several months, it has yet to resolve certain key problems. For example, some patients are still not getting the proper psychiatric services that they need.

In addition to actions taken by state and federal officials against a nursing home guilty of negligent nursing care, patients and their families may decide to sue for Chicago nursing home neglect especially if the inadequate nursing care, poor living conditions, and lack of supervision or security causes injuries or deaths.

Feds yank funding from North Side nursing home, Chicago Tribune, March 18, 2011

Federal government announces cut of Medicaid funds to Chicago nursing home, WQAD, March 19, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Homes, Medicare.gov

Chicago Nursing Homes

More Blog Posts:
Following Incidents of Chicago Nursing Home Abuse and Patient Violence, Somerset Place to Close by Friday, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 11, 2010

Evanston, Illinois Nursing Home Company Ordered to Close Another Assisted Living Facility Because of Poor Patient Care, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, March 21, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers: Chronic Nursing Home Neglect at Facility Forces Residents to Seek Other Housing, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, May 27, 2009

Continue reading "Alleged Chicago Nursing Home Negligence Prompts Federal Authorities to Stop Giving Medicaid Funding to North Side Facility" »

Police are searching for a 79-year-old nursing home resident who failed to return to Alshore Nursing Home after leaving the premise with a man. Lidia Constantinesco walked out of the Chicago nursing home on Friday morning with a younger male companion that she identified to staff as her brother.

However, Constantinesco apparently doesn’t have a brother. She also may be suffering from dementia and is on prescribed medication for diabetes.

Chicago Nursing Home Negligence
Assisted living facilities are responsible for not only providing patients with the nursing care that they need, but also for protecting their physical safety. This means hiring nursing home staff who won’t commit Chicago nursing home abuse, neglect, or sexual assault, making sure the facility is properly maintained so that residents aren’t injured because of any safety hazards, fall ill because of unsanitary conditions or poor heating (or ventilation), become the victim of a violent crime because of inadequate security, or don't end up wandering off the premise without notice.

While it is important that a resident retain his/her right to come and go from a facility—some patients cannot do so without supervision because they may be suffering from some type of serious mental illness. If this is the case, it is definitely the job of nursing home staff to keep a patient from leaving a facility unless accompanied by staff, a trusted family member, or someone else who has permission to take the resident out.

Cops: Woman missing from N. Side nursing home may have dementia, Chicago Tribune, January 29, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care, HelpGuide

Nursing Homes, Chicago

Continue reading "Patient Missing from Chicago Nursing Home May Be Suffering from Dementia" »

Winter in Illinois can be hazardous to the sick and elderly, which is why our Chicago nursing home abuse law firm want to remind you of how important it is for assisted living facilities to make sure that they keep patients as warm and healthy as possible. Otherwise, cold temperatures coupled with negligent nursing care can prove fatal for residents.

Steps that Chicago assisted living facilities can take to protect their patients from the cold weather:

• Make sure facilities have sufficent heating.
• Secure entrances and exits so that patients don’t wander off the grounds unattended.
• Pay extra attention to residents that are at risk of wandering.
• Remove Chicago slip and fall snow and ice hazards from the nursing home grounds
• Make sure that patients are well fed and wearing warm clothing
• Keep extra food, water, and medications on the grounds in the event that a heavy snow storm makes it impossible to get more supplies.

Hypothermia
Hypothermia, which involves the untended lowering of the body temperature, can occur during very cold temperatures. It is a health emergency that requires immediate medical attention. The elderly and those with health issues are among those at greatest risk of developing hypothermia. Health conditions that can increase a patient’s hypothermia risk include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, fall injuries, fractures, dementia, mental illness, and being under certain medications.

Wandering/Elopement
For a nursing home resident, especially one who is very ill or suffering from some type of mental illness, to wander from a facility is dangerous during any time of the year can be dangerous. He or she may become the victim of a Chicago car accident, a violent crime, or a fatal fall. However, getting lost in the snow when the temperature is extremely low can prove fatal for the resident, who may end up freezing to death.

Nursing home patients are also susceptible to flu, the cold, a cough, pneumonia, and other illnesses during the winter months. Unlike persons with strong immune systems, such sicknesses can prove detrimental to their health and result in infection and health complications. Now, more than ever, nursing home staff must carefully monitor their patients’ health.

Winter Safety Measures, Wisconsin.gov

Preparation is key for winter woes, Sun-Times, December 22, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Chicago Nursing Homes, The City of Chicago

How to Prevent Wandering at a Senior Care Facility, Caring.com

Continue reading "Chicago Nursing Homes Must Keep Patients Warm and Healthy During Winter Months" »

The month of July is Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Illinois. Over the next few weeks, communities will sponsor events aimed at creating greater awareness about this problem, which the US Administration on Aging says continues to affect about 700,000 to 3.5 million elderly persons in the US each year. Unfortunately, these figures are low estimates when you consider that only one out of every five abuse cases is reported.

At our Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse law firm, we are dedicated to combating Illinois elder abuse and making sure that our clients and their families are compensated for injuries and deaths caused by Illinois nursing home negligence. There are steps that you can take to protect your loved one from Chicago elder abuse including:

• Before choosing your loved one’s nursing home, actually visit the assisted living facility and personally inspect the place.
• Talk to nursing home workers at each facility and watch how they interact with patients.
• Observe the residents to see whether they seem happy and comfortable at the nursing home.
• Check out the Medicare Web site to see how the assisted living facility fared under the federal rating.
• Once your loved one is admitted to a nursing home, visit and call regularly.
• Watch out for signs of elder abuse or neglect.

According to the Illinois Department on Aging, there are up to 80,000 Illinois elder abuse victims each year. The state is encouraging people to "Break the Silence" and report any suspected elder abuse and neglect incidents. Remember that elder abuse takes place in Illinois nursing homes and in private settings. Chicago, Illinois elder abuse and neglect can lead to physical injuries, emotional trauma, health complications, sepsis, elder financial abuse, clogged breathing tubes, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, malnutrition, dehydration, choking accidents, wandering accidents, fall accidents, bedsores, and death.

Help prevent elder abuse, Chicago Tribune, June 25, 2010

Illinois Department on Aging urges people to “Break the Silence” and report suspected incidents of Elder Abuse, Illinois Department on Aging, June 14, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Illinois Department on Aging

Elder Abuse and Neglect Act

US Administration on Aging

Nursing Home Compare, Medicare.gov

An investigation by a state department of health has found the Jones-Harrison assisted living facility guilty of nursing home neglect in the death of a dementia patient who left the residence and wandered off last November. The report says that nursing home workers thought the woman had gone home with a family member.

However, while a relative did sign the woman out of the nursing home the day before the incident, she did bring the patient back to the assisted living facility. She did not, however, sign the resident back in.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the missing woman was discovered near a parking garage. She had no pulse and had frozen to death. She died from hypothermia due to exposure to the cold. The same family member who had checked the patient out says that nearly 17 hours after the woman was last seen, the nursing home still hadn’t called the cops.

According to investigators, a maintenance worker who left the facility on the day the patient wandered off had left a cyclone gate door open. The worker said that he purposely did not take the time to lock the door because he was cold and wanted to get to his vehicle as quickly as possible.

The health department determined that the assisted living facility and the maintenance worker were both negligent in causing the woman’s death. The report found that Jones-Harrison failed to properly oversee the resident registry and did not put into action in a timely manner the protocol for dealing with missing persons.

Wandering/Elopement
If your loved one is a nursing home patient who needed supervised care and he/she got hurt after wandering off the property undetected and without supervision, you may have grounds for a Chicago nursing home neglect lawsuit . Fall accidents, becoming the victim of a violent crime, hypothermia, dehydration from severe heat, and getting hit in an Illinois car crash are some of the reasons why patient elopement from a nursing home can be so dangerous.

Minneapolis Nursing Home Guilty of Neglect in Patient's Freezing Death, MyFoxTwinCities, May 20, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Preventing Elopement, Repertoire, March 2008

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care, Helpguide.org