Posted on December 06, 2022 in Bed Sores

A new study by the University of Chicago found that the number of bedsores at nursing homes continues to be underreported in the United States. When a nursing home resident develops bedsores it is usually due to substandard care and inadequate staffing levels. Unfortunately, nursing homes have failed to replace staff that quit after the pandemic and 82 percent of facilities in the nation did not meet minimum staffing requirements by the federal government before the pandemic. This is alarming especially if a family member is the one with these painful and life-threatening injuries. 

Why do Bedsores Form?

Bedsores or pressure ulcers develop when the blood supply to the skin is cut off for more than two to three hours. As the skin dies, bedsores begin to form and the skin turns red. It is a clear sign that something is not right.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on November 30, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

Fox News Channel reported last month that the buildings department in Chicago fined the owner of a senior housing facility $1,500 following the deaths of three residents during a brief May heat wave. The buildings department found 11 code violations. The story is alarming to many people who have loved ones living in nursing homes in the Chicago area.

Everybody wants to assume the nursing home they are leaving their loved one at will be committed to providing the best possible care, but the unfortunate truth remains that too many nursing homes cut back on their services as soon as guests leave and nursing home abuse occurs in too many instances. 

Nursing Home Examination Checklist

When you are in the process of examining nursing homes for your loved one, begin by ensuring a nursing home is Medicaid certified, meaning they have passed an inspection by a state government agency. Also ensure a nursing home offers specialized services, such as special care units for residents with dementia.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on November 14, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

There was a disturbing series of new stories published recently, with WTTW-TV reporting on October 12 that one Chicago hospital has seen at least seven resident deaths and at least 72 citations since January 1, 2017, more than any other Illinois hospital monitored by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Chicago Sun-Times reported on October 17 that an 87-year-old woman was found beaten to death Saturday in a senior home on the South Side.

People are always shocked to learn they are dealing with nursing home abuse, but abuse can be a much more complicated area to handle in wrongful death cases. It is important for families who have questions about the death of one of their loved ones in a nursing home to immediately contact a skilled Chicago nursing home abuse attorney.

How Nursing Home Wrongful Death Claims Work

When you believe that a nursing home was responsible for your loved one’s death, you will need to keep in mind what you are going to have to prove. Namely, you will have to prove that a nursing home had a legal obligation to ensure the safety of the deceased, the nursing home did not take the necessary safety precautions to safeguard the deceased, and the failure was the actual and legal cause of the wrongful death.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on November 07, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

Sexual abuse of a nursing home resident can be incredibly difficult for family members to identify and address to satisfaction. Anybody who is dealing with a nursing home abuse case in which they believe their loved one was sexually abused should immediately contact a Chicago nursing home abuse attorney.

Certain sexual abuse cases could result in both civil and criminal liability issues for nursing homes and their employees. People should familiarize themselves with some of the more common signs of sexual abuse so they can know how to spot when their loved one may be in danger. 

How Common Sexual Abuse Really Is 

CNN reported in 2017 that over 16,000 sexual abuse complaints were reported since 2000 in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It also reported that 226 nursing homes were cited for failure to protect residents from substantiated sexual abuse between 2010 and 2015, and approximately 60 percent led to fines of over $9 million.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on November 01, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

The National Ombudsman Resource Center reports that the Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program is authorized under the Older Americans Act and is administered at the state level, meaning every state has an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The program provides residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities with access to advocacy for ensuring they receive the quality of care and quality of life they need and legally deserve.

When a family has concerns about potential nursing home abuse or neglect involving their loved one, it can cause many people to begin asking questions for which there are not always easy answers. It is important to understand exactly which kinds of services the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program may offer.

Provisions of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program 

The 2nd Quarterly Report from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) included more than 100 licensees in Chicago. The IDPH initiated actions against these facilities for being in violation of the Nursing Home Care Act.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 31, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

 Breathing tubes are very serious medical apparatuses that are used when a patient can no longer breathe on his or her own. Unfortunately, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, residents requiring breathing tubes are among the most vulnerable. If there is an error with the insertion of a breathing tube, a patient is injured while being intubated by a breathing tube, or the tube somehow becomes dislodged, the patient may suffer from severe brain damage from lack of oxygen or another life-threatening injury. In some cases, a breathing tube error may even result in a wrongful death from oxygen deprivation.

Breathing tube injuries at nursing homes may be caused by nursing home abuse and neglect. If you have a loved one who suffered from a breathing tube injury, consider consulting with an experienced attorney who can protect your rights and explain your legal options. 

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 21, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

Older adults are amongst the most vulnerable of our society's population. In many instances, a person of advanced age may be unable to care for themselves properly. In some cases, they may need lots of assistance or just a little help here or there. At the very least, when you place your loved one in a nursing home facility, you expect their needs to be acknowledged and met by the healthcare professionals working there.

Any family's worst nightmare is for their loved one to suffer a life-threatening injury while living in a nursing home facility. Unfortunately, when an injury of this type occurs,it sometimes results from some form of nursing home abuse and neglect. If your loved one has suffered a life-threatening injury while at a nursing home, consider contacting an attorney with experience working in cases where elder abuse may occur. 

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 13, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

Deciding to put your loved one in a nursing home can be extremely difficult. This is a person you love very much. You may feel guilty about reducing their independence. However, suppose your loved one has dementia like Alzheimer's. In that case, nursing homes can be a secure location where your loved one can live in a community with healthcare workers skilled in caring for patients in similar circumstances. 

When you bring your loved one to live in a nursing home facility, you are assuming your loved one will be appropriately taken care of. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect happen frequently in nursing homes, especially against the more vulnerable population, such as residents with Alzheimer's and other dementia-related conditions. These patients are often targeted because the abuser assumes that they will be able to blame the patient's condition for any accusations. If you have reason to believe your loved one is suffering from elder abuse at a nursing home, consider contacting attorneys skilled at representing patients with Alzheimer's or dementia who may be getting abused at a nursing home facility. 

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 06, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

As their loved ones grow older and lose the ability to take care of themselves, a family may decide the best course of action is to move their loved one into a nursing home facility. When families make difficult decisions such as this, they expect, at the very least, that the facility they are moved into is a safe and caring environment that will adequately take care of the family member they love dearly.

Substandard care in a nursing home facility is any family member's worst nightmare. Further unconscionable is the prospect of a family member dying because of the care they did or did not receive. If you believe your loved one suffered a wrongful death in a nursing home facility, consider contacting a lawyer with experience in nursing home abuse and neglect to understand your rights and the options you have moving forward.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on September 30, 2022 in Nursing Home Abuse

Studies show that a tragic number of vulnerable adults are abused or neglected in nursing homes across the country, and that the longer someone stays in a nursing home, the likelier they are to face abuse or neglect. When stories of nursing home abuse make headlines regularly, those with loved ones in residential care facilities may be wondering how such a thing can continue to happen. 

Unfortunately, the answer lies in a problem that currently plagues a large portion of the U.S. economy and hits caregiving occupations particularly hard: difficulty recruiting and retaining quality staff. When nursing homes have a hard time hiring enough staff to properly care for their residents, they often resort to hiring subpar candidates, overlooking criminal backgrounds, questionable work histories, or a lack of appropriate qualifications. Sadly - although perhaps, predictably - inadequate staffing results in higher rates of abuse and neglect. 

Continue Reading ››