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Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog
Serving Chicago, Rockford, Aurora, and Surrounding Areas
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Palos Heights nursing home fined by IDPH for resident falls
A Palos Heights nursing home was fined by the Illinois Department of Public Health after several residents suffered injuries as a result of falls in the nursing home. The facility received a $20,000 fine.
One resident suffered multiple falls between October, 2007 and February, 2008. In the last fall that she suffered before the state inspection, she suffered a fractured ankle. During the state inspection, the resident's daughter came into the hall and asked the nurse who was accompanying the state inspector for help with her mother. When the inspector asked if she was satisfied with the care her mother was receiving, the daughter stated that she was concerned with the number of falls that her mother had. This prompted the state inspector to review the mother's chart.
The chart showed that the mother had several falls, but some were not properly investigated to determine the cause of the fall. Before her last fall, the mother's care plan was changed to include the use of a bed alarm. A bed alarm is a device which alerts the nursing staff that a resident at high risk for falling has gotten out of bed. At the time of the inspection, the bed alarm was not in use.
Nurse speak of the care plan as the road map for care of the patient. Putting together a care plan is a multi-disciplinary effort, and is a key step for assuring the well-being of the resident. Fall prevention in nursing homes is almost always an element of the care plan for a patient who is a fall risk. However, changes in the care plan must be communicated to the nurses on the floor and then implemented. Failing to follow the care plan is a form of nursing home neglect, and can be the basis of a personal injury lawsuit.
One resident suffered multiple falls between October, 2007 and February, 2008. In the last fall that she suffered before the state inspection, she suffered a fractured ankle. During the state inspection, the resident's daughter came into the hall and asked the nurse who was accompanying the state inspector for help with her mother. When the inspector asked if she was satisfied with the care her mother was receiving, the daughter stated that she was concerned with the number of falls that her mother had. This prompted the state inspector to review the mother's chart.
The chart showed that the mother had several falls, but some were not properly investigated to determine the cause of the fall. Before her last fall, the mother's care plan was changed to include the use of a bed alarm. A bed alarm is a device which alerts the nursing staff that a resident at high risk for falling has gotten out of bed. At the time of the inspection, the bed alarm was not in use.
Nurse speak of the care plan as the road map for care of the patient. Putting together a care plan is a multi-disciplinary effort, and is a key step for assuring the well-being of the resident. Fall prevention in nursing homes is almost always an element of the care plan for a patient who is a fall risk. However, changes in the care plan must be communicated to the nurses on the floor and then implemented. Failing to follow the care plan is a form of nursing home neglect, and can be the basis of a personal injury lawsuit.
Labels: falls in nursing homes, Nursing home abuse and neglect
posted by Barry Doyle at 9:41 AM
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