Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

The family of the 74-year-old woman has filed an Illinois nursing home abuse lawsuit against a Hinsdale facility alleging that over medicating and negligence caused her death, according to the Chicago Tribune. The action filed last week alleges the nursing home resident died of kidney failure due to dehydration because the nursing facility chemically restrained her.

The woman was admitted to ManorCare's Arcadia dementia unit in March of 2009. Within 48 hours of arrival she was prescribed a sedative and a few days later she was prescribed and anti-psychotic medication. Court documents allege that the victim lost over 16 pounds in her first 12 days of the facility.

The woman was finally transferred from ManorCare to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in April 2009 and died a few hours after admission. She died less than a month after arriving at the nursing home.

Also, it is alleged that the nursing home abuse victim was given medication that wasn't necessary to treat her condition she was physically restrained with a wheelchair lap restraint. The family is seeking an amount in excess of $50,000 in the seven count lawsuit.

Continue reading "Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers sue over death of 74-year-old woman" »

Gov. Pat Quinn has signed the long-awaited overhaul of the Illinois nursing home system. The signing took place on Thursday in a room packed with top state officials and senior citizens, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Our Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers have been reporting for more than a year on the state crisis in nursing home care. Chronic short staffing, poorly operated facilities and the presence of violent and mentally ill patients have left the state's residents at high risk of substandard care, neglect and abuse.

"This is historic legislation. It begins a new era of nursing home care in Illinois," Quinn said at the Thompson Center signing.

The state is in the process of hiring dozens of additional inspectors as well as writing rules to increase nursing home staffing levels. One of the primary challenges will be to fund the new law's many provisions as the state faces a $13 billion budget deficit.

A series of articles in the Tribune exposed assaults, rapes and murders occurring inside facilities that house younger psychiatric patients and convicted felons alongside elderly residents.

The new law will increase background checks and psychological screenings of new residents and place dangerous patients in separate wards. The program also seeks to divert thousands of mentally disabled people into smaller, residential programs.

The state currently has 146 nursing home inspectors. The new law will add an additional 71 inspectors by next July to reach the mandated ratio of one inspector for every 500 beds -- or about one inspector for every 5 nursing homes. The new inspectors are expected to cost about $5 million a year.

Continue reading "New law aims to reduce instances of Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse " »

Another fugitive has been arrested in an Illinois nursing home as authorities continue to target facilities suspected of housing wanted felons or other dangerous residents, the Belleville News Democrat reported.

The latest Operation Guardian compliance check occurred in East St. Louis at Virgil Calvert Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and snagged a 61-year-old man wanted on Missouri drug charges. The sweep also gave authorities a chance to conduct a safety review and a review of other compliance issues within the home. It was conducted by investigators from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Office, Illinois State Police, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.

Our Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys reported raids on nursing homes throughout the city led to the arrest of numerous wanted felons earlier this year. As we reported on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, lawmakers recently passed new legislation aimed at overhauling the state's troubled nursing home industry.

Operation Guardian was formed after authorities targeted a Chicago home for failure to complete background checks and criminal histories on residents to identify those who may pose a threat to the safety of others in the home. That home was closed down by state investigators. Five other homes in the Chicago area currently face attempts by the state for force them to close.

So far, 12 homes have been inspected, leading to 12 arrests and the identification of 61 people wanted on warrants. No home has been check where at least one resident was not identified as having an active warrant. However some warrants had geographic limits and those jurisdictions have chosen not to arrest the individuals.

"Criminals are using nursing homes as safe houses," Madigan said after the sweep. "Our state should not have fugitives hiding in our nursing homes."

In this case, officials at the home said they did not realize the resident was wanted. A public health inspection in January found a number of violations. Two sex offenders were also found in the home during that inspection. The law permits sex offenders to live in Illinois nursing homes but staff must provide a plan to keep other residents safe by restricting the offender's contact.

Continue reading "Illinois nursing home raid finds wanted felon; sweeps continue to identify potential for neglect and abuse " »

The Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers and Illinois elder abuse attorneys at Abels & Annes encourage families to become proactive in choosing an Illinois nursing home or assisted living facility. Advanced research can help ensure a loved one is placed in an environment capable of providing the proper care.

Illinois operates one of the country's most embattled nursing home systems. Our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog continues to report problems with convicted felons and unsafe conditions at homes throughout the Chicago area.

Those considering an Illinois nursing home should review a home's record of violations through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The average cost for a nursing home stay is about $74,000 a year, while the cost for an assisted living facility is $34,000. The number of assisted living facilities has exploded in recent years. About 38,000 assisted living facilities serve an estimated 975,000 residents.

A number of considerations can help determine whether a nursing facility or assisted-living facility is right for you and your loved one.

U.S. News & World Report recently published 9 things to consider when selecting a nursing home or assisted living facility.

1) Quality of Life: Choosing a home near a resident's social network, including family and friends, can have a positive impact on their quality of life and ensure visitors can help ensure a resident's welfare.

2) Current and Future Needs: Choosing an environment capable of handling current and future health issues can help with continuity of care. If a loved one has dementia or other progressive illness, will the home be able to handle their future needs?

3) Financial Stability: Choosing a home with a solid track record is important. A home with financial problems can impact quality of care.

4) Proper Licensing: Check with the agency that licenses homes to ensure that the home you are considering has the proper licenses and no serious history of violations.

5) Get Referrals: Seek input from the family members of other residents.

6) Ask about a Waiting List: Many good homes have a waiting list. Don't assume the home will have room when you need it. Conversely, there may be a reason why a home has no wait to admit residents. Do your homework.

7) Make Repeat Visits: Visit a home several times at different times before making a final selection.

8) Talk to Residents: During your visits, ask residents about their experiences. Be wary of homes that do not encourage you to speak with residents.

9) Consult a lawyer about a home's contract: A contract for a nursing home or assisted-living facility is a complex document best discussed with an experienced attorney.

Continue reading "Investigation before placement can help reduce risk of Chicago nursing home neglect or abuse" »

A Lake County nursing home as been cited as one of the worst performing skilled nursing homes in the country, the Post Tribune reported.

The facility is owned by Illinois nursing home operator Eric Rothner and a family of companies owned or controlled by his family. They also own Northlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Merrillville, which was closed earlier this month. He and his family own shares in nearly two dozen nursing homes in four states, including South Shore Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Chicago, which also has been cited for poor performance.

Chicago nursing home neglect cases have continued to make news in the wake of a series of raids and investigative media reports that have outlined a host of issues. As we reported on our Illinois Nursing home Abuse Lawyer Blog, state lawmakers recently passed an overhaul of the state system, which awaits the governor's signature.

Sebo's Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hobart has been added to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services list of poorly performing nursing homes. The Special Focus Facilities list includes homes that have demonstrated a pattern of severe quality and patient safety problems over a period of years.

A spokesman for Evanston, Illinois-based Extended Care Clinical, the parent company, said there was nobody available to comment.

The problems at the Sebo's home date back to at least 1999. The home received 16 substantiated complaints from state inspectors between 2007 and 2009. Substandard quality of care designations were made in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Continue reading "Illinois nursing home operator's problems continue; poor care and safety hazards alleged by federal inspectors" »

The Illinois Attorney General's Office conducted a sweep at a Jacksonville nursing home on Monday, looking for violations of state laws and regulations, the State Journal-Register reported.

As our Chicago nursing home neglect attorneys reported earlier this month on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, three arrests were made at a similar raid in Chicago last month.

Fourteen police and state officials participated in the Jacksonville raid, which was the 11th conducted in recent weeks -- and the first to occur outside the Chicago area. However, unlike previous sweeps, authorities didn't check for outstanding warrants among the facility's residents. The state continues to struggle with dangerous felons in Chicago nursing homes.

A staff member of the Attorney General's Office declined to say why residents weren't checked for arrest warrants, nor would she comment about why the 113-bed Golden Moments Senior Care Center was chosen for the raid.

No one was arrested and not citations were issued during the three-hour inspection. However, risk-assessments, mandated by law, were not completed for several residents. One of the home's owners cited a backlog at the state level as the reason for the lack of assessments in place on three residents.

The home was fined $50,000 earlier this year for poor care in connection with the October death of a 74-year-old resident who choked on his food. The nursing home is contesting the amount of the fine.

Illinois Nursing Home Resources

If you are faced with the tough decision of admitting a loved one into a nursing home or elder care facility, the Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes want you to know there are resources available to help you with your decision.

Click here for advice on finding an Illinois nursing home through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

And click here for reports of Illinois nursing homes with recent violations.

State lawmakers have passed a historic nursing home reform bill and sent it to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature, despite the protests of nursing home lobbyists who had fought measures to increase staffing in Illinois nursing homes, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Advocates say it is the biggest step taken in decades to reduce the risks of Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect as well as abuse in neglect in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities throughout Illinois.

The bill became one step closer to reality after passing out of the state legislature following tense eleventh-hour negotiations. The Tribune, which has conducted a number of exhaustive investigations detailing Illinois' ailing nursing home system, called it "a historic bill that aims to undo a half-century of failed policies and end a legacy of violence in which nursing home residents were raped, assaulted and murdered."

As we reported on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, the industry fought reform even as evidence continued to mount that mentally ill felons being housed in nursing homes and inadequate staffing levels have led to a host of dangerous conditions.

The Tribune reports the sides reached some agreement in the 159-page bill; the governor's top health care advisor, Michael Gelder, was hugged by both the industry's top lobbyist and one of its toughest critics after the proposed law passed out of the House with a 118-0 vote.

"It sends a very clear message that nursing homes are going to provide high-quality care, and they're not going to be dominated by individuals who have put profit ahead of the care and needs of their residents," Gelder said.

The measure would enhance criminal background checks and psychological evaluations of incoming residents and separate dangerous patients from residents by placing them in secure wards. It would also require a significant increase in nursing home staffing and mandate more rigorous safety and treatment standards for mentally ill or dangerous residents.

The bill's most ambitious measures would move thousands of residents with mental health issues into smaller residential programs. While lawmakers were jubilant, they acknowledged the real work will be in implementing and regulating the new guidelines.

Continue reading "Historic measure aimed at reducing Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse" »

The nursing home industry is quietly fighting a proposal by Gov. Pat Quinn that would raise minimum staffing levels in Illinois nursing homes, despite evidence that more staffing provides better care and improves resident's health, CBS2 reported.

The Associated Press reports that talks among lawmakers, nursing home officials and elder care advocates are scheduled to resume this week in Springfield but getting the industry to agree to increase staffing levels appears to be unlikely. National studies continue to show more care-hours leads to improved health, fewer bed sores and less unexplained weight loss among residents.

Advocates also contend it could lead to higher-quality staff and less turnover among nursing home employees.

Currently, Illinois requires nursing homes to provide at least 2.5 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Those rules require about 31 certified nurse aides and licensed nurses per 100 residents. Quinn is pushing to increase the minimum to 4.1 hours by 2014 for residents who need skilled care and 2.8 hours for those who require intermediate care. Some homes already meet those standards, while others do not. Industry executives have said that facilities relying upon Medicaid could not afford to hire more people to meet the proposed requirements.

The governor's proposal would also toughen oversight and raise fees and fines for nursing homes. As we reported earlier this year on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer blog, state officials have been scrambling to respond to a host of media reports and investigations outlining assaults, rapes and murders in Illinois nursing homes. The new proposals are part of the outcome of a special task force convened by Quinn last year.

The task force heard testimony about inadequate staffing, particularly at facilities serving poor and minority residents.

The across-the-board staffing increases are opposed by the Health Care Council of Illinois, the state's largest nursing home trade group. Union leaders support the increase, citing a 2001 study that found 4.1 hours of direct-care per day improves the quality of care received by nursing home residents.

An analysis of more than 15,000 nursing homes in 50 states by the Chicago Reporter found Illinois' for-profit nursing homes had the lowest average staffing level compared to those in other states.

Continue reading "Nursing home industry fights proposal to add staffing in effort to reduce Chicago area nursing home neglect and abuse" »

State and local law enforcement made three arrests after raiding a South Side nursing home in search of wanted criminals on Tuesday, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported.

As we reported recently on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer blog, officials are moving to correct issues of Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect after a series of reports detailing instances of assault, rape and other abuse by mentally ill patients and convicted felons, who are either living or working in area nursing homes.

State Attorney General Lisa Madigan led the raid on Presidential Pavilion, 8001 S. Western Ave., as part of a series of unannounced visits and safety checks being conducted at nursing facilities that house convicted felons.

The home was the 10th facility to be checked; 14 warrants were issued to wanted felons -- the largest number issued at any Illinois facility. The state reports 20 residents were living at the home with a total of 950 arrests and 399 convictions.

Authorities issued a total of 54 warrants in the other nine facilities and arrested 14 people.

"We're going to continue with these unannounced compliance checks in nursing homes throughout the state," Madigan told the media during an interview outside the building. "Nursing home operators I'm sure at this point are on red alert that we could be showing up any morning."

The home's owners control 28 nursing facilities in Illinois and Florida. An attorney for the owners defended them, saying he was unaware of any complaints of abuse or neglect of the home's residents.

Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to draft legislation to improve Illinois nursing home care. Gov. Pat Quinn's Nursing Home Task Force has made 38 recommendations for overhauling the state's troubled long-term-care program. Currently, Illinois nursing homes house 3,000 residents with felony records, including younger psychiatric patients.

Continue reading "Raid on Chicago nursing home yields three arrests; authorities target area homes in effort to reduce Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse" »

Authorities are moving forward with proposals aimed at improving safety and reducing instances of neglect and abuse in Chicago nursing homes and nursing facilities elsewhere in Illinois.

The Chicago Tribune reports that 48th Ward. Ald. Mary Ann Smith introduced several proposals last week that would strengthen inspections of Chicago nursing homes, enhance enforcement and penalties and require nursing homes to provide more details to the public regarding their financial and safety records.

As reported recently on Abels & Annes' Illinois Nursing Home Abuse blog, the state moved to close a Chicago nursing home amid neglect and abuse allegations. Meanwhile, the Tribune reports 1 in 4 sexual assaults in Chicago nursing homes go unreported or uninvestigated amid large numbers of convicted felons being housed in nursing homes in Illinois.

Smith's proposal will now be considered by City Council's Health Committee before being taken up by the full council.

Meanwhile the office of Gov. Pat Quinn has announced it will introduce legislation aimed at implementing the recommendations of the governor's Nursing Home Safety Task Force.

The task force was formed in response to an investigative report by the Tribune, which examined reports of rapes, attacks and murders in nursing facilities that house elderly residents alongside violent offenders.

Among the proposals made by the task force are tightening background checks on new residents, increasing staffing and toughening sanctions against facilities with chronic safety issues. The task force has also recommended moving thousands of mentally ill residents into smaller settings with better treatment options.

Some lawmakers are concerned the reforms will not go far enough and have announced a separate proposal with the backing of a number of influential groups, including the AARP, Illinois Citizens for Better Care, and the trial lawyers association.

Continue reading "New legislation aimed at reducing Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect" »

The federal government moved to close Somerset Place on Friday, a troubled Chicago nursing home accused of abuse and neglect of residents, according to the Breaking News Center.

The government moved to terminate funding for the nursing home in Uptown, contending in court filings that violence, abuse and mistreatment put "the health and safety of ... residents in immediate jeopardy."

Authorities report it has been four years since a a federal termination order has been issued for a Chicago nursing home. Four Illinois nursing homes have been de-certified because of problems since 2005 -- those homes have been sold or closed.

The action follows a report by the Chicago Tribune, which identified 66 of the 300 residents as convicted felons with mental illness. The century-old former hotel was home to a chaotic environment of poorly-supervised residents who bit and punched each other, turned over tables and tested positive for drugs, according to federal inspection reports.

Former staff members told investigators that the Chicago nursing home was understaffed and its caseworkers were poorly trained. Somerset officials filed an emergency civil lawsuit in an attempt to stop the government action but were denied by a federal judge on Friday.

The home will receive Medicaid funding for another 30 days and may stay open while it tries to re-enter the Medicaid system or sell to a new owner.

One of the owners, who has a stake in a dozen Illinois nursing homes, declined to comment to the press. The nursing home is one of the largest in the state and reported a profit last year of almost $2.3 million.

Chicago police investigated 15 alleged assault and batteries inside the home between April 2008 and July 2009, as well as five reported cases of criminal sexual assault and five cases of narcotics possession.

One resident, who had been prostituting herself and using crack cocaine while living there, was later found murdered, according to The Tribune.

Continue reading "Government moves to close Chicago nursing home amid neglect and abuse allegations" »

Since 2007, one out of every four Chicago nursing homes have reported cases of sexual assault against elderly and disabled residents but there has been only one arrest, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.

At least 86 cases of sexual assault or rape have been reported in 30 of the city's 119 nursing home in the past two-and-a-half years.

State law requires nursing homes to immediately report such instances of Chicago nursing home abuse to authorities. However, The Tribune found no police reports were filed in connection with at least nine alleged sexual attacks reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Most of the cases involved residents attacking other residents. Others involved attacks by employees or visitors -- the sole case to be prosecuted involved an orderly.

As reported in November by the Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys at Abels & Annes, the state is scrambling to address a three-part Tribune series detailing the mixing of mentally ill felons with nursing home residents, incomplete background checks, low staffing levels and a breakdown in reporting serious crimes against residents.

Government records show that the 30 Chicago facilities where rapes were reported were about twice as likely to house convicted felons and mentally ill patients.

The Tribune reported that most of the 30 Chicago nursing homes with alleged sexual assaults had substandard staffing levels. In addition to the 48 felony sexual assaults reported at the homes since 2007, another 28 criminal sexual abuse complaints were filed, which can include molestation or groping and can be either a misdemeanor or felony.

With just one arrest among the 48 rape reports, the rate of prosecution for sexual assault in nursing homes falls far below the closure rate for such cases citywide. Last year, Chicago police investigated 1,446 criminal sexual assault reports and made 450 arrests.

Chronic underreporting, lack of communication among state and local investigators and other challenges, including the mental or physical health of the alleged victim or suspect, were all cited as reasons for the lack of successful prosecutions in cases of sexual abuse in Chicago nursing homes.

Continue reading "Chicago nursing home sexual abuse cases go underreported and uninvestigated" »

A resident of a West Side nursing home faces first-degree murder charges for allegedly beating a 72-year-old dementia patient for apparently stealing his food, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported.

The charges were upgraded Dec. 15 against the 62-year-old accused resident, who authorities described as a psychotic felon living in the same facility with the victim. The man is accused of repeatedly punching the victim in the head after the victim reportedly entered his room and began eating his food.

The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. He died Sept. 18.

As the Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes reported on its Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer blog, the Aug. 21 incident and an investigative report by the Chicago Tribune prompted state lawmakers to look into the issue of violent felons being housed in Illinois nursing homes.

The accused resident, who has a history of drug conviction and aggressive behavior, told authorities he assaulted the victim for eating his lunch of pot roast, green beans and potatoes.

The Breaking News Center reported the nursing home, Columbus Park Nursing and Rehabilitation, was recently investigated by state public health officials for allegations of violence to some of its residents.

The Chicago Tribune reported the home revealed two other assaults had occurred during the previous 90 days while Chicago police reported 11 alleged batteries inside the facility during the same time period.

State health officials opened a broad investigation to determine whether Columbus Park is accurately reporting incidences of violence and abuse. However, health department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said that the department is inundated with facility incident reports, and "unfortunately with the staffing that we have, we're not always able to connect the dots."

Columbus Park employees had documented the accused resident's history of "violent, aggressive behaviors," but the facility failed to protect the victim and other residents, the state health department investigation determined.

The incident highlights the need to research a nursing home before choosing where to place a loved one. It also underlines the need for visitors and other guests in nursing home facilities to help police the system.

Continue reading "Convicted felon faces murder charge for resident's death in Chicago nursing home negligence case" »

State lawmakers will hold hearings this month on ways to improve safety in Illinois nursing homes after outrage over the high number of felons with mental illness housed in the state's elder-care facilities. An investigation by the Chicago Tribune found the situation has led to violent crimes, including murder, rape and assault, being committed against innocent residents.

The Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers and Chicago nursing home attorneys at Abels & Annes continue to monitor this issue closely -- the well being of vulnerable seniors is clearly at stake as dangerous felons and the mentally ill continue to be housed in nursing facilities.

The Senate committee hearings Nov. 5 will include testimony from elder advocates, as well as state agencies in charge of nursing home safety, including the departments of human services, family services, health care, aging and public health.

The Chicago Tribune reported the hearings are in response to the newspaper's three-part series detailing the mixing of mentally ill felons with nursing home residents, incomplete background checks, low staffing levels and a breakdown in reporting serious crimes against residents.

You can read more about that series on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog.

"At the end of the day, we need substantive results, and we need to protect our families," Sen. William Delgado, D-Chicago, told the Tribune.

Gov. Pat Quinn has also convened the Nursing Home Safety Task Force, which held the first of six meetings last week. And Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has called on public health officials to increase inspections, improve data-keeping of alleged crimes and review the criminal histories of all 3,000 felons living in nursing homes.

"I want to ask the Public Health Department what (its) plan is to improve enforcement in nursing homes, whether we need legislation or more staff," said Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago. Steans said she has a special interest in the issue because her North Side district has among the highest concentrations of mentally ill nursing-home residents in the state, and some of the homes generate a large volume of police service calls.

Continue reading "Illinois officials scrambling to react to reports of dangerous felons preying on nursing home residents" »

State lawmakers will hold hearings next month on ways to improve safety in Illinois nursing homes after outrage over the high number of felons with mental illness has led to violent crimes, including murder, rape and assault, against innocent residents.

The Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers and Chicago nursing home attorneys at Abels & Annes continue to monitor this issue closely -- the well being of vulnerable seniors is clearly at stake as dangerous felons and the mentally ill continue to be housed in nursing facilities.

The Senate committee hearings Nov. 5 will include testimony from elder advocates, as well as state agencies in charge of nursing home safety, including the departments of human services, family services, health care, aging and public health.

The Chicago Tribune reported the hearings are in response to the newspaper's three-part series detailing the mixing of mentally ill felons with nursing home residents, incomplete background checks, low staffing levels and a breakdown in reporting serious crimes against residents.

You can read more about that series on our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog.

"At the end of the day, we need substantive results, and we need to protect our families," said Sen. William Delgado, D-Chicago, told the Tribune.

Gov. Pat Quinn has also convened the Nursing Home Safety Task Force, which held the first of six meetings last week. And Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has called on public health officials to increase inspections, improve data-keeping of alleged crimes and review the criminal histories of all 3,000 felons living in nursing homes.

"I want to ask the Public Health Department what (its) plan is to improve enforcement in nursing homes, whether we need legislation or more staff," she said.Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago. Steans said she has a special interest in the issue because her North Side district has among the highest concentrations of mentally ill nursing-home residents in the state, and some of the homes generate a large volume of police service calls.

Three employees of a LaSalle County, Illinois nursing home have resigned or been fired after an investigation determined the home failed to protect residents.

The home faced two fines stemming from the sexual molestation of several female patents by a resident at the home, according to a report from the Associated Press.

While officials would not say who resigned and who was fired, they confirmed the departure of the home's administrator, director of nursing and director of social services.

The Associated Press reported that the home was fined $20,000 by the state and faces another $20,000 fine from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The Times in Ottawa, Illinois reported that the Illinois Department of Public Health found the home at fault earlier this year for not protecting at least 10 women from molestation by a male resident of the home.

The home's interim administrator also pointed out that the nursing home's nutritional consultant works for the firm that provides the home's food, a possible conflict of interest.

Putting a loved one in a nursing home is one of the most difficult tasks many of us will face. Despite every effort to ensure that your loved one is cared for in a safe and secure environment, Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse is an all-too-common occurrence.

The state offers a number of resources to those faced with the difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home. Click here for information on how to file an Illinois nursing home complaint and for tips on how to select an Illinois nursing home.

If you suspect neglect or abuse is occurring in an Illinois nursing home, talking to an Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyer can help provide added protection for both a loved one and other residents of the home.

Background checks meant to protect Illinois nursing home residents from dangerous felons moving into a home often miss violent crimes, downplay the risk they pose to aging seniors and leave nursing home residents vulnerable to abuse, according to an investigative report by the Chicago Tribune.

The Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes continue to monitor the issue of unqualified employees or residents -- including convicted felons -- being hired by or housed in Illinois nursing homes and elder care facilities.

The average cost of nursing home care in this country hovers around $6,000 per month. Half of the nation's 18 million nursing home beds are operated by large chains and two-thirds of all nursing homes are for-profit companies.

The Tribune investigation found some residents who had a history of violent crime went on to commit assaults or other serious crimes inside the homes where they lived.

Illinois became the first state to require background checks for all residents as part of a 2006 law meant to address the growing number of mentally ill felons entering the state's nursing facilities. The checks are used to screen high-risk individuals who require close monitoring or private living quarters.

But the Tribune's review of 45 recent cases found many instances of incomplete assessments that left out crucial details, including criminal convictions. The report also found long delays in completing the checks -- sometimes resulting in felons living among residents for more than a year.

And of the more than 3,000 convicted felons living in Illinois nursing homes this summer, less than 30, or 1 percent, were classified as high-risk, which requires homes to place them in single rooms near nurses' stations.

Two-thirds -- a total of 2,077 felons -- were classified as "low risk," meaning the nursing homes are permitted to treat them no different than residents without criminal records.

With the aging Baby-Boomers set to further crowd a system that is a routine target for state and federal budget cuts, more and more Illinois residents will be forced to rely upon the state's nursing homes for care. The federal government estimates that half of those over 65 will spend time in a nursing home.

Continue reading "Convicted felons in Illinois nursing home facilities lead to abuse of residents" »

The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued a report that found the LaSalle County Nursing home allowed a resident to sexually abuse 10 other residents.

Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes fight for the rights of residents abused in Illinois nursing homes.

The report found the home failed to prevent the male resident from abusing 10 female residents and propositioning others, including some who couldn't speak or suffered from dementia, ABC7 News reported.

"When I would leave for a short time he would wait until I was gone for moments and put his hands on, or target the dementia women," one activities aide testified in the report. "Sometimes he would pull back when I'd return or tell me to get out."

It is disheartening to those who deal with nursing home abuse that in this case staff members apparently were aware of the behavior. Nursing homes have a duty to provide a secure environment free of abuse.

The ongoing debate among Illinois lawmakers over the state budget has come with increased scrutiny of proposed cuts to health and human services programing, including resources for the elderly that opponents contend could force even more of our seniors into nursing home care.

Additional reductions in state and federal aid will further stress a system in which neglect and abuse is already a distressingly common occurrence.

And the aging Baby Boomer population will further stress available resources.

Still, with the average monthly cost of a private nursing home stay hovering around $6,000 nationwide -- and with more than half of the country's nursing homes operated by for-profit companies -- these facilities have an obligation to provide an environment for seniors that is free of neglect and abuse.

Illinois lawmakers have outlined the rights of nursing home residents in the Nursing Home Care Act.

In this instance, the alleged abuse began in December and lasted until June 5, when the male resident was moved to an inpatient psychiatric unit, according the report.

"Due to Administrative staff's failures to implement policies and procedures for abuse, failure to recognize abuse, and failure to effectively manage facility resources, sexual abuse occurred for 10 residents," the report said.

No criminal charges have been filed and administrative fines or sanctions have not been announced.

If you are faced with the tough decision of admitting a loved one into a nursing home or elder care facility, the Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes want you to know there are resources available to help you with your decision.

Click here for advice on finding an Illinois nursing home through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

And click here for reports of Illinois nursing homes with recent violations.

Continue reading "Sexual abuse reported in Chicago-area nursing home" »

Family members of nursing home neglect and abuse victims are seeking solace from one another through online social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter , YouTube and MySpace.

The Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes continue to monitor the impact of social networking sites on personal injury and wrongful death cases, both in the Chicago area and across the country.

While these virtual support groups no doubt provide emotional support for victims' families, there is also a cautionary note: Information posted on sites like Facebook and MySpace is increasingly finding its way into a courtroom. If you are involved in a case, it is generally not a good idea to discuss it online. A good rule of thumb is to never post anything online that you would be uncomfortable answering for in a courtroom.

That said, such virtual support groups are providing meaningful relief for families dealing with the neglect or abuse of a loved one who was entrusted to a professional nursing home or elder care facility.

The Minnesota Albert Lea Tribune published a story this weekend about social networking's impact on a horrific nursing home abuse case in which several teenage girls are accused of sexually abusing and humiliating Alzheimer's patients in the Good Samaritan Society nursing home.

The families of the alleged abuse victims have formed under a group called Families Against Nursing Home Abuse, opening pages on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. They also have videos on YouTube. One writes a blog.

At these sites, people can read reactions to elder abuse and get to know the alleged victims of abuse in words and photos.

Jan Reshetar, co-founder of the group, said she and the others decided to branch out to these Internet sources to enact changes on the local, state and national level.

“We’re trying to get the community involved,” Reshetar told the newspaper. “We’re trying to get the attention of our local people.”

Then, hopefully, once people get involved, they will call their state and national representatives and senators and voice their concerns.

At her blog, Reshatar wrote: “It’s been over one year since we first got the phone call that Mom ‘may or may not, be a victim of what may or may not be abuse.’ It’s been over 12 months … over 365 days … over 8,760 hours … over 525,600 minutes … over a lifetime ago.”

The Facebook page can be found at Facebook.com

The Twitter, MySpace and YouTube pages can be found by doing a search. In most cases people have to be a member of the Web site to access them.

Continue reading "Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers monitor social networking's impact on elder-abuse cases" »

A Chicago nursing home faces a lawsuit filed by a Harvard women who claims the home did not do enough to prevent her mother from dying from a fall. Jennifer Bowden of Harvard is suing Sacred Heart Home in Chicago, according to an article in the Northwest Herald. Bowden’s mother, Kathleen Koch, fell in a stairwell at the home and died eight months later at 61 years old. She suffered a broken back, head injuries and paralysis as a result of the fall.

The case alleges the staff at the home should have better supervised Koch, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Yet her room was not near a nurses station and she was allowed into the stairwell unsupervised, according to the newspaper's account of the lawsuit.

Sacred Heart Home declined comment on the matter.

The aging Baby Bommers and a tight economy, which has led to state and federal cuts in subsidized elder care, are just two of the factors that will continue to put the burden of monitoring the care of a loved one on the shoulders of his or her family.

Nationwide, there are 1.8 million nursing home beds in 17,000 facilities. Half are part of large chains and two-thirds are operated for profit, according the federal statistics. The government estimates that almost half (43 percent) of those over 65 in 1990 will spend time in a nursing home.

The Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes work to help loved ones determine whether the circumstances of a family members injuries or death in a nursing home rises to the level of neglect or abuse.

The Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Abels & Annes want you to know there are resources available when considering a nursing home:

Click here for advice on finding an Illinois nursing home through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

And click here for reports of Illinois nursing homes with recent violations.

Continue reading "Chicago nursing home faces neglect lawsuit stemming from death of a resident in stairway fall" »

The Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Abels & Annes continue to monitor changes in elder care at the state level that could impact the welfare of your loved ones in Illinois nursing homes.

The American Association of Retired Persons issued a statement last week decrying the impact of the new state budget on elder care and an Illinois newspaper slammed a court ruling against hiking fines against nursing homes for serious violations of care standards.

You heard that right. The state is making drastic cuts to elder care to balance its budget even as its court system ruled it cannot raise fines for abuse and neglect violations to generate income.

"By neglecting the needs of hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents, children, families and the elderly, this budget puts our state's worst foot forward," said Bob Gallo, state director for the AARP in Illinois. "At a time when people need state programs the most, like those that help people have access to healthcare and relief from high prescription drug costs, this budget pulls the rug out from underneath them."

Among the cuts opposed by the AARP:

-Community care programs slated to be cut in half, leaving 26,000 without the care they need to remain in their communities and subjecting them to more costly instituional care, such as nursing homes.

-Eliminating the Elder Abuse and Neglect Program -- meaning 11,000 cases won't be investigated.

-Closing all four Illinois veteran's homes.

- Cutting home services for the disabled.

Meanwhile, the Peoria Journal Star points to a ruling from a Sangamon County Judge earlier this year that limits the Illinois Department of Public Health's ability to issue fines to $10,000 per incident of abuse or neglect.

The paper notes fines were increased under former Gov. Blagojevich and were opposed in court by nursing homes that were fined for infections, beatings and health problems that led to the deaths of residents.

"We're told by those who represent residents' concerns at the 114 nursing homes in the Peoria region that the average price of a private-pay nursing home approaches $5,000 a month," the paper wrote in an editorial. ""If the maximum fine for any offense, no matter how extreme, is $10,000, then a mere one month's rent of one double-bed room covers it. That's a slap on the wrist that is unlikely to induce a substandard facility to get any better."

With the aging of Baby Boomers, the state and federal resources for elder care should be expanding. Instead they are shrinking -- which in and of itself can lead to substandard care, overcrowding, and neglect or abuse.

Thus, the responsibility for researching a potential home for a loved one increasingly falls on the public.

The Illinois Department of Health offers a number of resources:

Continue reading "Chicago nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers monitoring impact of state budget on elder care in Illinois" »

The family of a 69-year-old woman has filed a nursing home abuse lawsuit, alledging a Chicago nursing home failed to protect her from being sexually assaulted by a 21-year-old mentally ill resident.

The Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Abels & Annes want to remind those faced with placing a loved one under care of a facility to know there are resources available to you. Click here for advice on finding an Illinois nursing home through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

And click here for reports of Illinois nursing homes with recent violations.

An Associated Press analysis earlier this year found U.S. nursing homes have become a dumping grounds for young and middle-age people with mental illness. And Illinois ranked highest among the states in the number of mentally ill adults under age 65 living in nursing homes -- more than 12,000.

Elderly abuse and neglect will continue to be an issue as the Baby Boomer population ages. Of those over 65 in 1990, nearly half (43 percent) will spend time in these facilities, according to federal statistics.

In this case, the lawsuit accuses Maplewood Care's administrator of attempting to cover up a rape by calling it consensual sex, according to the Associated Press article.

An executive with the home's parent company, which operates seven other Chicago-area nursing facilities, declined comment according to the Associated Press. The civil lawsuit claims the woman's family was not told the nursing home had admitted young adult residents "with a history of violent and aggressive criminal behaviors."

The Agency for Health Care Administration reports the average cost of a nursing home in Chicago was $165 a day in 2000 and has steadily increased since then. Nationwide, there are 1.8 million nursing home beds in 17,000 facilities.

Nursing home operators have a duty to provide a safe, secure environment for their clients. But residents and those looking to place a loved one need to keep in mind that elder care is also big business. More than half the nation's nursing homes are part of a chain of facilities and two-thirds are operated for profit.

The rights and responsibilities of nursing homes and residents, as well as enforcement, violation and penalty and remedy information are outlined in the Nursing Home Care Act as passed by the Illinois General Assembly.

Continue reading "Family sues Chicago Nursing home for abuse in sexual assault case" »

In Chicago, Illinois an 84 year old nursing home resident died Monday night after falling from a nursing home window, according to the Southtown Star. The deadly accident happened at Alden Wentworth Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, located at 201 W. 69th Street on the South Side. The resident, Benny Saxon, fell from a 4th floor window around 6:30 p.m. He reportedly suffered from dementia and was recently having problems.

The nursing home resident was taken to St. Bernard Hospital and pronounced dead less than an hour later. Wentworth detectives from the Chicago Police Department are investigating the death.

At some point, it is a good bet that a Chicago Nursing Home Lawyer is going to take a look at the case. The question is going to be how a patient with dementia and other problems had access to an open fourth floor window, and further if there was negligence on the part of the nursing home facility for not protecting the resident from the danger.

Click here to read the entire story.

In Chicago, Illinois a south suburban nursing home has been sued in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Law Division, for nursing home neglect, according to CBS News. A nursing home resident with dementia was allegedly found lying on train tracks and suffering from exposure after walking away from a field trip to an area high school in December of 2007. The lawsuit alleges the resident was left with visible injuries and was out in the cold for eight hours.

The lawsuit alleges that the Orland Park nursing home did not properly watch her on the trip, failed to assess the risk of her wandering away, failed to have adequate staff present on the field trip, and did not react adequately once they discovered she was missing. The suit seeks damages in excess of $50,000.

Click here to read the entire story.

In the Chicago area south suburb of Burnham, Illinois, it is being reported by the Chicago Sun-Times that a nursing home resident who died almost two weeks ago was murdered. The victim who resided at a nursing facility at 14500 S. Manistee Avenue past away from multiple injuries sustained in an attack.

He later died on April 1, 2009 at South Shore Hospital. Local authorities have ruled the death a homicide. Illinois State Police are now involved in the investigation.

The death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy was performed by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. The victim also suffered from hypertension and diabetes.

It has not been reported yet how the attack took place. However, the fact that the attack took place at all is a strong evidence of nursing home neglect and/or abuse. It is very likely that the family of the victim will soon retain a Chicago Nursing Home Lawyer to review the case.

A woman from Danville, Illinois is in police custody for alleged nursing home abuse, according to WCIA-3 News. She allegedly punched an elderly Alzheimer's patient in the face two times at a Champaign County, Illinois nursing home. The defendant is an aide at the nursing home and works in an Alzheimer's unit.

The nursing home worker is facing criminal charges and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and fined up to $25,000. The Champaign County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation.

The nursing home's administrator would not comment on the story, but stated the home was investigating what exactly happened. The East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging is also going to conduct an investigation into the matter. The severity of the patient's injuries have not been reported.

If you believe a loved one in your family is a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect in the Chicago area, contact Abels & Annes for a free consultation.

A Chicago Nursing Home Attorney has filed a lawsuit against a Lake Zurich nursing home in Cook County Circuit Court for allegedly neglecting one of its residents, according to the Lake County News-Sun. On December 29, 2006, the resident was admitted to Lexington Health Care Center of Lake Zurich nursing home under the precaution that she was at-risk for falls. The lawsuit alleges that over the course of a seven month span in 2007, the patient fell a total of five times, despite the nursing home’s knowledge of the patient's risk of falling.

As a result of one accident in August 2007, the patient complained to nursing home staff for several days about hip pain. The nursing home eventually took her to the hospital for x-rays. Hospital physicians diagnosed her with multiple left hip fractures and pneumonia. The plaintiff had to have surgery to repair the fractures. It is alleged that the resident will experience a significant loss of mobility in the future.

The National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform defines elder neglect, in part, as failing to care for a resident in a way that avoids injury. Neglect does not have to be intentional, and a nursing home employee who is not properly trained is likely not to give adequate care. Included in their definition of neglect is failing to provide help with walking when needed and not paying attention to complaints for help (both of these allegations are being made in the Cook County lawsuit).

If you believe a loved one in your family has been neglected by an Illinois nursing home, contact Abels and Annes to discuss legal options.

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 resident of a Canton, Ill. nursing home was recently found living in a grain storage bin, more than a month after she went missing. The 44-year-old woman, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and cancer, was last seen at her nursing home Sept. 16. She was found in early December after she came to a home near the grain bin, seeking shelter from the cold. Authorities told the Peoria Journal Star that the woman was sleeping on plastic and carpeting and eating crabapples to survive. After she was discovered, she was treated for dehydration.

From the facts presented in the article, it seems to me that this woman and her family may have an Illinois nursing home neglect lawsuit, depending on the extent of her injuries. The article mentions that the woman had run off once before and been found three weeks later, living in the woods, so she has at least some history of escape attempts. As a Chicago nursing home abuse attorney, I know this is not uncommon for patients with a mental illness. We do not know the circumstances, of course, but in general, allowing patients with these tendencies to wander into dangerous situations is a form of nursing home neglect.

Many people put their loved ones in a home in the first place to avoid just this kind of incident. Even the most dedicated relative can’t provide 24-hour supervision for an irrational, unpredictable patient. The additional resources provided by a nursing home or assisted care facility are supposed to reduce these sorts of serious risks. When they fail, patients and their families don’t have to just put up with it. Our Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers handle cases where a patient is injured due to a nursing home's negligence. To learn more, you can contact us online.

A woman has sued her nursing home in East St. Louis, the Madison County Record reported in December. The lawsuit alleges that the woman, who entered the home in 2000, developed pressure sores on her body because of neglect at the home. She also alleges that staff failed to treat the sores or give her medication. She is suing the parent company for the home for negligence as well as violations of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, which gives many legal rights to residents of nursing homes.

Pressure sores (also called bedsores or by their medical name, decubitus ulcers) may not sound too terrible, but they can actually be life-threatening. They often develop in patients who are bed-bound or wheelchair-bound, due to a combination of pressure, friction, humidity and sometimes medication. Malnutrition and underlying conditions like anemia can then make an existing bedsore worse. Pressure sores may look simply like a discoloration of the skin in the early stages (pinkness in light-skinned people; blue or purple patches in dark-skinned people), but as time goes on, they eventually come to resemble cuts or puncture wounds. Eventually, the body tissues under pressure are damaged and die, just like tissues with gangrene, and are likely to become infected.

Healthy people don’t generally develop pressure sores because they have the power to simply change position when they start feeling uncomfortable. That’s not the case for physically or mentally disabled people who need help to move. To prevent the sores, experts recommend that aides turn patients every two hours and help them maintain good hygiene and general health. This is especially important in nursing homes. According to an eMedicine article, 17% to 28% of patients in nursing homes have pressure sores, and two-thirds of the sores occur in patients over 70. Worse, even a patient who has healed from bedsores has a 90% chance of developing more.

Given the severe risk and relatively simple prevention of pressure sores, preventing them should be the top priority of any nursing home. Unfortunately, these basic tasks are often the first to go in cases of nursing home neglect. And many of the other features of nursing home neglect, such as malnutrition and poor hygiene, can make pressure sores even worse and invite infections, sometimes life-threatening infections. In a patient already weakened by illness or age, this can be a health care disaster leading to serious illness, a health decline or even death. If you believe someone you love has developed serious bedsores because of neglect at a nursing home, you can and should hold it legally responsible with an Illinois nursing home neglect lawsuit. To speak with one of our Chicago nursing home lawyers today, please contact us through our Web site or call (312) 399-8988.

Money is tight everywhere these days, including in the budget of the State of Illinois. Unfortunately, this budget squeeze could have an effect on some of the most vulnerable people in our state: residents of nursing homes. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently ran an article on Illinois state budget cuts across the board, but one particular paragraph caught my eye:

In Illinois, State Comptroller Dan Hynes' office recently announced the state is roughly $4 billion behind in paying nursing homes, state contractors and others, with a roughly 12-week backlog, because cash flow into state coffers has slowed.

Why does this matter to a Chicago nursing home abuse lawyer? Because the evidence suggests that funding is an important factor in the quality of care provided by a nursing home or other assisted living facility. Studies show that staffing levels, especially the number of registered nurses at the facility, have an effect on quality of care. And of course, a well-trained staff is relatively expensive. When there are more duties than there are staffers to perform them, tasks are more likely to be forgotten, delayed or intentionally ignored, and staff is more likely to turn over quickly.

All of this spells trouble for the residents of nursing homes. Even well-meaning staffers can forget things if they’re truly overwhelmed, leading to nursing home neglect. Staffers who are not so well-meaning can use the lack of oversight in a busy facility to steal from residents, over-medicate them, ignore their needs or worse -- all forms of nursing home abuse. The elderly, disabled and vulnerable in Illinois deserve better. Our Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys help victims of neglect, physical abuse, financial exploitation and other abuses at Illinois nursing homes. To speak with us about your own case, you can contact us through our Web site or call (312) 399-8988.