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Any time an individual is admitted to an Illinois nursing home, the staff is required to complete comprehensive assessments in every aspect of the patient’s health within 30 days. This ensures that the resident receives the highest level of medical attention when required. Unfortunately, not all nursing facilities follow these procedures and protocols, which is often detrimental to the patient’s well-being. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers represent Illinois nursing home patients who have suffered neglect, abuse, and mistreatment at long-term care (LTC) homes like Brach House.
Brach House
This Nursing Home is a 12-certified-bed LTC Center providing cares and services to residents of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. The ‘for profit’ Facility is located at:
6300 N. Ridge Ave.
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 973-6300
Chicago LTC Home Resident Safety Concerns
The state nursing home regulatory agency continuously updates their statewide nursing facility database system. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH – (ltc.dph.illinois.gov) data contains a comprehensive historical list of incident inquiries, safety concerns, filed complaints, opened investigations, and health violations of every facility in each county.
The Cook County abuse and neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers reviewed serious deficiencies, violations, hazards and safety concerns at this long-term care home including:
- Failure to Follow Assessment Procedures and Protocols in a Timely Manner to Ensure the Resident Receives the Highest Quality Care
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 02/17/2016, a state investigator noted the nursing home’s failure to “ensure assessments are completed within 30 days of admission”. The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident “admitted to the facility in the past year.”
The failure was first noted in the state investigator’s findings after reviewing a resident’s 01/07/2016 Medical Record. It was noted that “the facility failed to ensure the Comprehensive Functional Assessment included assessments that were completed within 30 days of admission.” The “following assessments were not completed for [the resident] within 30 days of admission:
- Vocational assessment completed 02/13/2012
- Nutritional assessment completed 06/01/2015
- Vision assessment completed 03/29/2016
- Nursing assessment completed 02/25/2016
- Dental examination completed 02/22/2016
- Hearing evaluation completed 02/09/2016
- Self-medication assessment completed 02/09/2016
- Occupational Therapy assessment completed 02/17/2016”
An interview was conducted with the facility’s Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP) in the early afternoon of 04/28/2016 who reviewed the resident’s “medical and program records and verified the above-noted assessments were completed on the dates identified.” The QIDP stated that the resident’s “verified that [the resident’s] 30-day staffing does not include assessment information that was obtained after 02/09/2016.”
- Failure to Ensure That Every Resident’s Drug Regimen Is Free from Unnecessary Medications
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 04/29/2016, an Illinois state investigator noted that the facility failed to “ensure an annual drug reduction occurred for [one resident] receiving medication for behavioral purposes.”
The state investigator reviewed the resident’s April 2016 Physician Order Sheet (POS) revealing an order for a SSRI Zoloft medication (50 milligrams once daily at 8:00 AM) used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, PTSD, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The resident’s records also documented a “Behavior Management Program implemented on 06/17/2015.”
However, the investigator noted that “there is no documentation in [the resident’s] record and/or Behavior Program that [the resident’s] Zoloft had been reduced in the past year. There is no documentation that [the resident] has been evaluated for medication reduction in the past year.” The Residential Manager provided documentation on 04/29/2016 that identifies [the resident’s] Zoloft was initiated on 05/09/2012… [at a lower dosage] then increased to its current dose of 50 milligrams on 05/16/2012.”
Facility documentation revealed that the resident “had two incidents of aggressive behavior throughout the year… [the resident] has done a great job of redirecting himself away from triggers that would normally result in physical aggression.” The resident’s physician documented in March 2015 that “overall things have been good regarding anger aggression. The physician documented it would be unrealistic to expect that there would not be at least one or two episodes a year [...and] that they tried altering [the resident’s] dosage of Zoloft in the past and [the resident] has not done well with this.”
It was noted however, that “there is no documentation that [the resident’s] Zoloft had been decreased or increased since 2012 [...and] there is no documentation since 03/04/2015 that the interdisciplinary team (IDT) had evaluated [the resident] for a decrease of his Zoloft.” It was also documented in an interview with the Residential Manager that the resident “did have a rough summer last year (2015), however, the facility has no documentation as to what a ‘rough summer’ means.”
Chicago Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you believe your child, sibling, parent, grandparent or spouse has been harmed or injured while residing at Brach House, call Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers now. Our reputable Chicago attorneys can successfully resolve your abuse, neglect or mistreatment victim case on your behalf against Illinois nursing facility that caused your loved one harm.
We encourage you to contact our Cook County elder abuse law office today by calling (888) 424-5757 to schedule your appointment for an initial complimentary claim review. There is no need to make an upfront payment because we accept all nursing home claims for compensation on contingency.
Sources:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6011555FI04292016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6011555FID02172016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6011555FIK07222015.PDF
