Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Surpasses 10,000 Reports
Aug 13, 2011
Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) August 12, 2011 – The latest quarterly reports for the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act show 29 violations by statewide nursing home facilities. The violations, which can seriously jeopardize patient health and safety, resulted in penalties ranging from fines to license revocations.
Some of the most egregious violations were uncovered by health department investigators at the Waterfront Terrace nursing home. Investigators were brought in after the facility failed to provide adequate care. It was discovered that an individual found bleeding from a shunt and lying in a pool of blood was not properly monitored. Less than two hours after being transferred to a hospital, the individual passed away. The staff did not have proper documentation on the patient and did not properly monitor the patient’s condition after dialysis treatments.
In addition, the Chicago nursing home housed nine identified criminal offenders and did not have adequate risk assessments or criminal analysis on them. Health department investigators learned that one of these offenders injured his roommate in an altercation. The roommate had to be treated at the hospital for cuts to his nose. Waterfront Terrace also did not have a policy on how to work with local police when a resident is injured or dies.
“Abuse or neglect is absolutely unacceptable,” said Chicago wrongful death lawyer Paul A. Greenberg, Esq. “Failing to properly monitor and protect patients is a serious and potentially deadly problem.”
The Illinois Department of Aging (IDoA) made July the state’s Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. The state has a 24-hour hotline to report elder abuse. An estimated 80,000 senior citizens are abused each year according to the IDoA. More than 10,300 reports of elder abuse were recorded last year, but many incidents involving untreated injuries, atypical depression, unsafe living conditions, and elder fraud go undetected.
Chicago wrongful death attorney and SuperLawyer Paul A. Greenberg, Esq. is known for his skill and compassion when dealing with a loved one’s serious injuries or wrongful death. Briskman Briskman & Greenberg is a family-oriented law firm that is successful in representing clients who have been seriously injured or lost a loved one as the result of the carelessness of a nursing home or health care professional.
Paul Greenberg is a Chicago wrongful death attorney and Chicago wrongful death lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.
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