A resident at the Walnut Manor nursing home in Walnut, Illinois was seriously burned after a moist hot pack was left on her skin. The burn on her right shoulder was a “full thickness” burn, meaning that the burn penetrated all three layers of the skin. This is considered the most serious kind of burn.
The Walnut Manor occupational therapist who treated the resident admitted that the resident had complained several times during therapy that the hot packs were too hot. The hot packs were wrapped in a single towel layer and placed on the resident’s shoulder. After the first complaints, the therapist wrapped the hot packs in a second layer of towel. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 4-6 layers of towels are the standard of care. Because the proper procedures weren’t followed, the Walnut Manor resident received a severe burn that took over two months to heal.
The burn was brought to the attention of staff by a certified nurses aide (CNA) who was assisting the resident with a shower and reported it appropriately. Often CNAs shoulder much of the blame for incidents of nursing home neglect. In this case, it seems the nursing home staff responded appropriately to the nursing home burn. However, the Walnut Manor occupational therapist did not.
If you have a loved one who has been injured in an Illinois nursing home, and you feel they have been the victims of nursing home abuse or nursing home neglect, contact our Chicago nursing home lawyers for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
Other blog posts of interest:
DuPage Care Center resident burned by hot packs during therapy
Resident suffers third degree burns in fall at Sauk Valley Senior Living