Several different residents have experienced dozens of falls while under the care of the Morris Healthcare and Rehab Center in Morris, Illinois. The sheer number of nursing home falls is an indicator of nursing home neglect, but coupled with a series of suspicious answers to nursing home inspectors, the likelihood of nursing home neglect rises.
The first resident fell 13 different times between the beginning of August and November of last year. That’s almost a fall every week for three months. Even after fracturing an ankle, she continued to experience nursing home falls at an alarming rate.
Nursing homes are required to conduct an investigation every time a resident experiences a fall and put interventions in place to prevent any recurrence. While Morris Heath Care personnel updated the resident’s plan of care, it’s unclear whether the interventions were being followed or were ineffective. Certainly, they haven’t been able to stem the tide of nursing home falls. On one occasion, for example, she was found having fallen out of her wheelchair at 1:00AM. I can’t think of a reason for a resident being alone in a wheelchair at that time.
In addition, there were supposed to be both bed alarms and mobility alarms. These alarms would alert staff that the resident was attempting to move unassisted. And yet, the falls continued to accumulate. The resident was to be seat-belted into her wheelchair but continued to fall from her wheelchair.
Other residents at Morris Healthcare and Rehab have also had multiple incidents of nursing home falls with no witnesses. One 84-year-old woman was found on the floor by the dining room table. She was diagnosed with a fractured hip. The fall took place at 6:00PM in the dining room, a standard dinner time. How is it possible that no staff were present to witness the fall?
Nursing homes have an obligation to prevent their residents from injuring themselves due to nursing home falls. While some falls are unpredictable, the vast majority are not. One of our core beliefs is that nursing homes are built to fail due to the business model they follow and that unnecessary injuries and illnesses and wrongful deaths of residents are the inevitable result. Order our FREE report, Built to Fail, to learn more about why. Our experienced Chicago nursing home lawyers are ready to help you understand what happened, why, and what your rights are. Contact us to get the help you need.
Other blog posts on nursing home falls:
Fall at Forest Villa results in death of resident
Fall from wheelchair at Hillcrest Retirement Village
Resident involved in multiple falls at Berkeley Rehab in Oak Park