Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

In Central Illinois, the Care Center of Abingdon nursing home has received the lowest possible score by the Center for Medicaid Services in a new five star rating system, according to Galesburg.com. The home only received one star out of five. As an Illinois nursing home lawyer, I believe that a low rating like this is an indication to look out for neglect and abuse.

The rating program evaluates almost 16,000 facilities across the country. The new system rates nursing homes in three areas; health inspections, quality measures, and staffing levels.

In the health inspections category, the Abingdon nursing home was awarded 3 out of 5 stars. However, the home received only one star in the quality measures and staffing levels areas. This resulted in an overall rating of just one star.

The report found several problems with the Illinois nursing home. First, the home allegedly either failed to hire workers with no history of abusing patients or failed to investigate reported nursing home abuse. The report states the nursing home also failed to properly administer medication to residents, failed to adequately hydrate residents with fluids, and failed to properly prevent and/or treat bed sores.

Licensed nurses in Illinois on average spend one hour and twelve minutes with each nursing home resident. The nationwide average is one hour and eighteen minutes. At the Care Center of Abington, the average nurse time with patients was only 47 minutes during a 2 week period just before the state inspection.

The CEO of the nursing home states that they have addressed the issues raised in the report. Abington is run by a non-for-profit corporation and they have 82 certified beds.

While the problems at the home have reportedly been corrected, it would be wise for family members of residents at the home to keep a close watch on their loved ones, visit regularly, and look for signs of nursing home abuse and neglect.

If you believe a family member has been abused or neglected by a nursing home in Illinois, please contact Abels & Annes at (312) 924-7575 for a free consultation.

An 89 year old woman has died at an Itasca nursing home after she walked into the courtyard and froze, according to CBS News in Chicago. The family is outraged and demanding answers from the facility where it happened.

The victim's daughters say she suffered from dementia and that she had a fear of being alone and in the cold. It is also being reported that the Itasca Police Department is trying to figure out how the victim who was wearing an ankle monitor and who uses a walker was able to walk through 2 doors with alarms and go into a courtyard in the middle of the night unnoticed.

The Illinois Department of Public Health website indicates at least 14 complaints were filed against the nursing home last year. The family of the victim has hired a Chicago Area Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer to pursue a civil claim against the nursing home.

If you have a loved one that you believe has been abused or neglected by a nursing home in Illinois, contact Abels & Annes for a no cost consultation.

Deciding to place a loved one in a nursing home can be very difficult, emotionally. But once you’ve made that hard decision, a different sort of difficult choice awaits you: Which facility is right for your family? As a Chicago nursing home neglect lawyer, I know your choice affects your loved one’s everyday life, so it’s very important. If you have never had to think about this before, the sheer amount of information out there can be overwhelming.

Luckily, the Illinois and federal governments both offer a wealth of information to families struggling with this decision. If you need help right away, you can get in touch with local agencies whose job it is to help families through this stressful time. If your family is already involved with a social services agency like the county Public Aid office, it can usually point you in the right direction; social workers on staff at hospitals can also help. If those aren’t options, you can contact your local Agency on Aging in Illinois, which will give you a list of homes in your area, as well as the name of the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman, a person whose job it is to ensure that you know your rights, as well as investigate any of your complaints. This person can’t recommend a particular facility, but he or she can answer questions and guide you in your search.

The Illinois Department of Public Health and the federal Department of Health and Human Services (PDF) both publish lengthy guidebooks for people who are choosing a nursing home. The state DPH also allows you to search for long-term care facilities by ZIP code, city or county, and maintains separate pages listing homes with no problems at last inspection and quarterly reports on homes with violations. When choosing a home, clearly, the first thing to look for is whether it meets the needs of the person who will live there. Experts also recommend that you choose one close to your home, because staff is likely to take better care of residents with regular visitors.

Once you’ve made a list of homes, experts always recommend that you visit it, preferably several times. Some even suggest that you drop in without calling ahead, so staffers won’t make any special preparations. Once you’re there, check out everything, including the kitchen and the bathrooms. (Don’t be shy -- this is your right as a customer, as well as the resident’s right as a human being.) Homes generally invite visitors to have a meal with the residents. They should also be able to show you a certification from the state on request. In general, watch for signs that residents are comfortable, respected and feel at home. If there are consistent problems with cleanliness, many residents in restraints or a lack of basics like access to drinking water, beware.

A nursing home is a long-term home; residents and their loved ones have a right to ensure that it treats them with dignity. If your family has a complaint about serious abuse or neglect at a nursing home, please contact our firm, Abels & Annes, as soon as possible for a free consultation.

A Tulsa man has been arrested on charges of sexually abusing a resident of the nursing home where he works, the Tulsa World reported Jan. 12. The man, a restorative aide at the home, was arrested after a co-worker reported that he allegedly touched a resident's genitals while giving him a bath. The alleged victim is blind and physically handicapped. The accused man was released on bail Saturday.

Any nursing home abuse is outrageous, but sexual abuse is especially shocking. Families choose nursing homes or other managed care situations because they want to do what's best for loved ones who can no longer live independently. Putting someone you love in a nursing home is an act of trust in the home's staff -- trust that's betrayed when staffers take advantage of a sick or disabled person's helplessness. In addition to the physical harm it may cause for victims, sexual abuse can also cause profound emotional harm, because it is an extreme violation of the victim's dignity.

The article doesn't specify what the criminal penalties would be if this man is convicted of sexual abuse. But for some families, criminal penalties against an individual employee are not enough, especially if the nursing home itself tolerated or failed to stop the abuse. Fortunately, Illinois law allows families to file a Chicago nursing home abuse lawsuit, regardless of whether there is any accompanying criminal case. A nursing home abuse claim can hold individuals and companies responsible for perpetrating or allowing nursing home abuse; refund costs caused by the abuse, including the cost of new care; and compensate the victim for the physical pain and emotional suffering caused by abuse.

Ables & Annes handles cases of nursing home abuse and neglect in Illinois. Based in Chicago, we represent nursing home residents and families throughout the state who have been seriously harmed at by carelessness, recklessness or illegal behavior by a nursing home or its staff. If someone you love has been hurt by neglect or abuse at a nursing home, we would like to help. To speak with us about your legal options and your loved one's rights, please contact us online today for a free consultation.