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Many nursing home residents have a substantially increased potential of falling due to their age, disability or being easily disoriented. Any fall can result in serious injury or fracture that diminishes the resident’s quality of life and functional abilities. Sadly, the elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have represented many nursing home residents who have suffered life-changing injuries caused by the negligent actions of their caregivers.
Even though residents in nursing facilities are prone to falling, oftentimes, a lack of supervision or assistance by the nursing staff can contribute to the fall. Their negligence is often the result of overcrowded conditions, a lack of properly trained staff or failing to take preventative measures to minimize the resident’s fall risks.
Many facilities failed to follow established standards of care and create dangerous environments inside the nursing home. This can include hallway hazards, wet slippery surfaces, failing to use safety devices including bed rails and floor mats or not utilizing assistive devices including operational bed alarms and call buttons.
Avanti Wellness and Rehabilitation Center
Avanti Wellness and Rehabilitation Center is a 212-certified Medicaid/Medicare-participating nursing facility providing medical services to residents of Niles and Cook County. The facility is located at:
6840 W. Touhy Ave.
Niles, Illinois 60714
(847) 647-6400
Niles Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
On a routine basis, federal and state nursing home regulatory agencies update their comparative nursing home database statistics and post the information on their website portal Medicare.gov. Currently, Avanti Wellness and Rehabilitation Center maintains a five out of five available star rating compared other facilities throughout the United States. This includes five out of five stars for quality measures, four out of five stars for staffing issues and three out of five stars for health concerns.
Even though the facility’s a five-star rated nursing home, our Niles nursing home neglect attorneys have found numerous health violations and safety concerns involving the facility. Two of these concerns involve:
- Failure to Ensure That Every Resident Is Free from Accident Hazards and Provide Adequate Supervision to Prevent an Avoidable Accident from Occurring
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 01/14/2016, a notation was made by a state investigator during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "implement fall interventions for two high fall risk residents.” In addition, the state investigator also noted the facility’s failure “to supervise medication administration for [a resident at the facility].”
The investigation involved a resident requiring the extensive assist of one person “for transfers and ambulation.” In the resident’s 11/06/2015 Occurrence Journal, it was revealed that the resident “was observed in a kneeling position on the floor with no injury documented.” The resident’s Fall Event dated the same day revealed the resident “was trying to transfer himself to bed when his knees gave out.”
The resident’s subsequent 11/10/2015 Occurrence Journal revealed that the resident “was observed on the floor lying on his right side with moderate bleeding to the left eyebrow/forehead.” The report indicates that the resident “was unresponsive for a few seconds and started opening his eyes and moaning.” As a result, the resident “was sent out to the local hospital via ambulance for evaluation.” The resident’s Fall Event dated the same day indicated that the resident “was sitting in his room in the wheelchair when he fell forward.”
The state investigator interviewed the facility’s Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) on 01/13/2016 at 9:45 AM who stated that the resident “is at risk for falls and should have a bed alarm.” Five minutes later at 9:50 AM, an interview with the Certified Nursing Assistant revealed that the resident “was observed with a personal alarm string clipped to his gown and tucked underneath [the resident’s] arm.” The resident’s “alarm device was observed hanging on the side rail of the bed and disconnected from the string and was observed attached to [the resident’s] gown.” At that time, the resident’s “alarm was not sounding and was observed to be in the off position.”
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated 01/07/2016, a state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to follow the plan of care and ensure that fall prevention interventions were in place for [3 residents at the facility] all reviewed for high risk falls.”
A part of this investigation involved an event noted in a resident’s Incident Report revealing that on 12/18/2015, the resident “was noted on the floor.” A Certified Nursing Assistant “reported to the nurse that [the resident] had swelling to his left lower extremity. An x-ray revealed [the resident suffered a] left medial malleolus fracture.”
Niles Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If your loved one or friend suffered injury due to a fall or other hazard while residing at Avanti Wellness and Rehabilitation Center or any other Illinois nursing facility, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can help. Our team of dedicated Niles nursing home neglect attorneys is experienced in reviewing complex fall injury claims and have access to all the necessary resources to assist you in seeking the financial compensation you deserve.
We urge you to contact our Cook County elder abuse law firm today by calling (888) 424-5757 to request your free, no-obligation consultation. No upfront payment is required until we obtain your financial recovery on your behalf.
