Aperion Care International

The medical needs of a growing aging population in the United States have become increasingly complex and often require the skills of medical staff and nursing facilities. Unfortunately, many disabled, rehabilitating, and elderly individuals residing in these facilities become victimized at the hands of their caregivers through abuse, neglect, and mistreatment. Others suffer from worsening conditions by a lack of quality care.

Do you suspect your loved one was neglected or abused while residing in a nursing home? Our personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC are legal advocates for residents at Aperion Care facilities. They will be with you and your family throughout the entire process.

Contact our skilled nursing home abuse attorneys today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with the legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Our personal injury attorneys publish publicly available information to assist families in making informed decisions before placing a loved one in the hands of Aperion Care caregivers.

Aperion Care International

This Western Avenue facility is a 218-certified bed Medicare/Medicaid-participating long-term skilled nursing home (not a continuing care retirement community) providing medical services to Chicago and Cook County, Illinois residents. Aperion Care International is located at:

4815 South Western AVE
Chicago, IL 60609
(773) 927-4200

Website: https://aperioncare.com/locations/international/

Aperion Care International provides an array of medical services, and concierge services at its modern facilities, including:

• Speech, occupational, and physical therapy
• Post-stroke rehabilitation
• Post-acute care
• Long-term skilled nursing care
• Short-term rehabilitation
• Joint replacement/orthopedic therapy
• Personalized post-hospital care
• Pain management
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Wound care
• An individualized plan of care
• Palliative/hospice care
• Alzheimer's/dementia care
• Respiratory care
• In-house hemodialysis
• Medication management
• Advanced rehabilitation services

Nursing Facility Patient Safety Concerns

Through its website portal, the federal government continuously updates assessing information on nursing facilities nationwide through a control program. It posts the information using a five-star rating system to allow a comparative analysis of the health care quality in one nursing home against all others in the United States.

Currently, Aperion Care International maintains a one out of five stars overall rating for its array of medical services, including four stars for quality measures and one star for health inspections and staffing concerns.

Aperion Care services fail to ​​provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, residents' preferences, and goals.

The nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC have located numerous filed complaints and opened investigations and safety concerns for the residents of Aperion Care International. Some of these concerns involving nursing home neglect include:

Failure to Ensure the Nursing Home Areas Are Free from Accident Hazards and Provides Adequate Supervision to Prevent Accidents – Deficiency #F0689

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 27, 2022, the state investigator documented that Aperion Care International "failed to follow their policy to ensure fall prevention interventions were in place for a resident who has a history of falls, and, the [skilled nursing care center] failed to ensure proper staff assistance was provided for [another patient] when positioning the resident in bed."

The investigators determined that the effects on the two residents involved improper senior care. In one case, documented on May 24, 2022, the resident stated they fell a while ago. The patient said that he was by himself "in the bathroom, and then he slipped and fell." The patient stated that "he is allowed to walk alone" and "hurt his hand." The patient said "he does not remember when he fell.

The patient stated that Aperion Care International skilled nursing care "did not send them to the hospital" but was "supposed to move around in a wheelchair, stating that his wheelchair was outside."

The patient also said that he did not receive his medications this morning, which indicated, at a minimum, a lack of adequate supervision of their long-stay residents.

Resident's Call Light Unplugged and Out of Reach

A certified nursing assistant stated that the resident "is not supposed to walk by himself" and "is checked on every hour either by a CNA or nurse" as per their individualized plan. The surveyor noted that the resident was in a Geri chair alone in his room when his "call light was not plugged in and tied to the bottom of the bed rails out of reach."

The Aperion Care International Director of Restorative Nursing stated that the resident can "walk, but he is unsteady to walk on his own" and "is supposed to ambulate with one staff member." The director stated that the resident "was found sitting on the floor next to [the resident's bed, denied hitting his head." The Aperion Care facility did neurological checks, but no injuries were reported. They never sent the resident to the hospital.

Two Unwitnessed Falls

In a separate incident months later, the resident had an unwitnessed fall in his room. They found the resident sitting on the floor between his roommate's dresser in the floormat. The resident stated, "I was coming from the bathroom." No injuries were noted from this lack of adequate supervision.

Less than two weeks later, on April 25, 2022, the patient had another unwitnessed fall in the resident's room. He was found sitting on the floor next to his bed, stating, "I was trying to get slippers and slid."

The investigators interviewed a second patient "laying comfortably in bed" with "no concerns of pain or discomfort." The patient stated, "when the CNAs come into turn him, they come in with two people."

The resident stated that "because one time, one CNA came in and pulled me up and she hurt my arm. I had never worked with her before. I filed a report, and they came and investigated. My shoulder joint is sensitive. She should not have just pulled me up by herself. Now, it is okay."

Failure to Ensure Staff Is Vaccinated for Covid 19 - Deficiency #F0888

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 4, 2022, the state investigator's revealed that Aperion Care International failed to follow their Covid 19 vaccination policy to ensure that all facility employees have received a dose of a single-dose vaccine or all doses of a multi-dose vaccine series which has the potential to affect all 183 residents in the facility.

The Human Resources Director provided the surveyor with the Aperion Care International Covid 19 staff vaccination matrix, revealing that a dietary aide and the certified nursing assistant were only partially vaccinated.

The director validated that Aperion Care International does have "partially vaccinated staff in the facility and that [the director] is educating staff to be up-to-date with their Covid 19 vaccines."

Failure to Timely Report Suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Theft and Report the Investigation Results to Proper Authorities. – Deficiencies #/F0609

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated August 9, 2021, the state investigator documented that Aperion Care International failed to "follow their policy to report to state agency a resident's unauthorized exit from the facility. This failure affected [1 resident] out of a sample of 6 residents."

At approximately 9:00 AM on August 7, 2021, the patient was observed in his room "not remembering leaving the facility and being admitted to the hospital." Earlier, the Aperion Care International receptionist said, "she is at the front door to see who was coming in and out and signed visitors in." The receptionist said, "there is always a receptionist at the front door."

Resident Eloped Out the Front Door

An interview with the Director of Nursing revealed that the patient left their room and "walked out the front door, and the receptionist said she did not see him." The director stated that "this incident happened between shifts changes" and that she expects "that all non-medical employees must sign in and out, and anyone coming in and leaving the facility has to be seen by the receptionist."

The report indicates that the patient left the facility and "was hospitalized and returned to the facility the next day." Currently, the nurses are viewing the resident every hour in the CNAs are viewing the resident every 2 hours.

The surveyor inquired about the resident's community survival skills assessment within Aperion Care. The facility administrator stated that the resident "needs someone with him and be supervised when in the community," stating that the resident "should have signed out and staff should have asked where the resident was going."

Eloped Resident Found 18 Hours Later (Overnight)

The Aperion Care International administrator stated that the resident left the facility around 8:00 PM on July 28, 2021, and that the staff was looking for him and had called the family and filed a police report. The patient was found the following day at approximately 1:30 PM.

The facility administrator stated that "she did not send the state agency reportable [as required by law] because she did not feel like she should as the resident was found not injured." The administrator stated, "she did not think this incident was reportable because he came back without injuries."

However, the Aperion Care International nursing home is situated in a thriving residential neighborhood in a busy part of town, which can quickly compromise resident safety for those unaware of their surroundings.

How Falls Compromise Patient and Resident Safety

Every day, nursing home residents are at risk of suffering falls. Even a simple fall can compromise patient and resident safety. While serious falls can occur in any setting, nursing home residents are vulnerable because of their age and frailty.

In addition, many nursing home residents affected by dementia or Alzheimer's disease are often unsteady on their feet. Long-stay residents taking antipsychotic medication also have a high risk of falling, which could lead to a major injury.

Falls can have many severe consequences for nursing home residents. They can lead to fractures, head injuries, and even death. In addition, falls can cause tremendous pain and distress for residents. They can also lead to a decline in health and an increased need for assistance with activities of daily living.

After the fall of a resident, Aperion Care should provide advanced rehabilitation services and the appropriate treatment with physical therapy and skilled nursing staff.

Aperion caregivers are responsible for minimizing the risk of falls or accident hazards and ensuring that long-stay residents are safe. These steps include ensuring that residents are adequately supervised, providing appropriate assistive devices, and taking other measures to prevent accidents. Nursing homes may be guilty of abuse or neglect when they fail to meet this responsibility.

Nursing home residents at risk of falling must have a personalized post-hospital care plan involving ongoing physical therapy and short-term rehabilitation ordered by the resident's doctor.

The Need for an Infection Prevention Control Program When Providing Health Care Quality Services

Like all nursing homes in Illinois, Aperion Care International nursing home care must develop, implement, and enforce an infection prevention control program that minimizes the potential risk of spreading contagious diseases among long-stay residents.

The facility must train Aperion caregivers on infection control practices and ensure that they follow the most up-to-date protocols to prevent the spread of germs and create an environment that allows residents to get better and possibly return home.

In addition, the nursing home must have a system for identifying residents who may be at risk of contracting or spreading an infection. Immunocompromised residents or having other health conditions that make them more susceptible to disease must be monitored closely.

The Aperion Care must also ensure that residents' rooms and common areas are clean and free of potential sources of infection. It includes ensuring that all surfaces are properly disinfected and that dirty laundry is promptly removed from the premises.

Aperion Care International nursing home is responsible for providing residents with quality health care services that meet their individual needs. It includes taking steps to prevent the spread of infection within their facilities. Nursing homes may be guilty of abuse or neglect when they fail to meet this responsibility.

Wandering Away from Aperion Care Facilities Could Lead to Death

Many seniors in nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities have dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or memory challenges that can cause them to become disoriented and wander away from the property.

This situation can be hazardous for the long-stay residents, as they could easily get lost or injured. Sometimes, wandering away from a short-term rehabilitation center could be deadly.

Steps to Prevent Elopement

There are a few things that the nursing home care center and every family member can do to help prevent their loved one from wandering away from Aperion Care. First, ensure that the nursing home patient always wears an identification bracelet or necklace with their name and contact information.

You can also install a tracking device on their clothing or wheelchair. If your family member does wander away, immediately report it to the skilled nursing home or rehabilitation center staff.

All these dangers underscore the importance of ensuring patients remain in the short-term rehabilitation center until it is safe for them to leave. Staff should keep a close eye on residents who seem restless or confused and make sure that all safety measures are in place in case someone does wander away.

These precautions can help ensure that our loved ones receive their care and stay safe while in nursing home care.

Is the Nursing Home Responsible for Neglect and Abuse?

Aperion Care provides its residents with medical services, food, hygiene, and shelter. The dependence of nursing home residents on their skilled nursing staff means that nursing homes have a legal duty to their patients.

The skilled nursing home must provide a level of care that is reasonable based on nursing home industry standards. They must provide a safe environment, free of accident hazards, excellent care services, and modern facilities in line with today's standard of care.

If a patient suffers an injury, abuse, or neglect, the nursing home may be held responsible, primarily if the abuse occurred due to:

• Negligent hiring and retention of nursing home staff, which can include the failure to perform background checks and verify qualifications
• Negligent training of staff members
• Negligent maintenance of equipment
• Intentional abuse of a patient by staff members
• Unnecessary or harmful physical restraint
• Failure to provide food, water, and other services
• Failure to provide proper medical attention and physical therapy services
• Exposure to safety and health hazards
• Failure to prevent accidents
• Failure to establish an infection prevention strategy

If the nursing home or its employees' negligent actions caused your loved one harm, you might be eligible to pursue legal action.

The nursing home contractually agreed to provide care for your loved one. If the nursing home staff fails to uphold their duty, the care home may be liable for injuries and illnesses that indicate a failure in their services.

Chicago, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

Was your loved one neglected or abused at Aperion Care International or other nursing facilities? Did the staff's failure to provide appropriate treatment based on the resident's preferences lead to their mistreatment?

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC can serve as the resident's representative and hold Aperion Care International accountable for your damages. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number), or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation.

Our Chicago, IL nursing home abuse lawyers accept all personal injury cases and wrongful death lawsuits on a contingency fee agreement. It ensures you will pay no upfront legal fees for our services until we resolve your case through a negotiated settlement or jury award.

Resources:

• WHO-Information About Elder Abuse
• NCLER-Older Adults Abuse