The Christian Nursing Home in Lincoln, Illinois was fined after numerous deficiencies were identified in the way the nursing home administration treated residents who had suffered from nursing home falls while in the facility.
The Christian Nursing Home, like any in Illinois, has an official Fall Prevention policy that indicates that after any resident suffers a nursing home fall at the facility, the Christian Nursing Home administration will conduct an investigation into the cause of the fall, and initiate a specific care plan to prevent the fall from happening again.
Unfortunately for two residents of the Christian Nursing Home, that investigation and care plan never materialized, and they suffered numerous additional falls as a result.
The first resident, suffering from muscle deterioration and dementia, required a wheelchair for mobility. Her doctor ordered that she be transferred from her chair to her bed using a standing mechanical lift and two people to assist in the move.
The nursing home Plan of Care only called for a standard lift and one staff person. Less than a week later, the resident fell for the first time. Only one person was transferring her. The nursing home investigation failed to mention that her physician had called for a two person transfer, and no changes were made to the initial plan of care.
In October, the resident fell again during a one person transfer. This time, medical personnel at a Lincoln, Illinois hospital determined she suffered a broken leg.
Another resident with Alzheimer’s disease and congestive heart failure fell in September and twice in December. There were no new interventions developed after any of these falls. After another fall in January, a seat alarm was ordered for her chair. On January 20th, she fell again getting clothes from her closet. The seat alarm battery was dead.
Nursing homes have an obligation to take action to prevent nursing home falls. Once a resident falls for the first time, the likelihood of additional falls and injuries increases dramatically. If you have a loved one who has been injured after one or more nursing home falls, and you feel they have been the victim of nursing home neglect, contact my law offices for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
Other blog posts on nursing home falls:
Resident rolled out of bed by staff at Warren Park in Chicago
Fall and brain bleed at Alpine Fireside in Rockford
Resident dies from brain bleed after fall at Prairie Lutheran
Click here to file a complaint about a nursing home with the Illinois Department of Public Health.