Alden Health Nursing Homes

The Alden care home chain opened its first skilled nursing facility in 1971 as Alden Lakeland. Today, the company provides health care services in over 40 locations situated in southern Wisconsin, Rockford Illinois, and the Chicago Metropolitan area.

The Alden Network at a Glance

Website	TheAldenNetwork.com
Number of Facilities	49 existing; 2 coming soon
Illinois Facilities	47 existing; 2 coming soon
Headquarters	4200 W. Peterson Ave. Chicago, IL 60646
Year founded	1971
Type of Care Provided	Assisted Living Developmentally Disabled Independent Living Memory Care Rehabilitation Respite Care Skilled Nursing Ventilator Care

Alden provides post-acute services, short-term orthopedic recovery care, and skilled nursing/assistance to independent retirement communities in Illinois and Wisconsin. Catering to both the older adults and young adults, Alden provides healthcare solutions and therapies along with quality care to home residents suffering from memory impairment.

Alden owns and operates various facilities in the communities it serves. These include:

• Senior Living Communities – Aging individuals often desire to move into communities with like-minded people eager to live an independent life filled with social, educational, and recreational opportunities. Alden offers an independent lifestyle for older adults who do not require assistance in daily living and activities.
• Assisted Living Communities – Many elderly residents and disabled individuals choose to live in assisted living communities managed by Alden because of the quick access to physicians and medical teams. These communities also provide outings, social events, restaurant dining, and 24-hour nursing care when required.
• Short-Term Rehabilitation Centers – These northeast Illinois and southern Wisconsin centers offer extensive daily speech, occupational and physical therapies conducted by post-acute-care certified nurses. These facilities are known for their advanced therapeutic centers, access to the latest modalities and equipment, high-end restaurant dining opportunities, and cutting-edge care protocols.
• Memory Care Centers – Individuals with physical or cognitive impairments often require specialized services available at Alden’s memory care centers. Treatment, services, and care are provided to every resident, based on specific needs during every stage of their disease.
• Skilled Nursing Homes – Short-term and long-term residents receive restorative nursing care, therapeutic diets, hygiene assistance, and other support to improve their well-being and enhance their level of comfort while recovering from surgeries, trauma, or during the last stages of their lives. Some services provided include semi-private or private accommodations, routine physician visits, post-acute rehabilitation, medical interventions, and complex care.

The Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC are committed to holding negligent nursing facilities accountable for resident injury and death. If your loved one was mistreated at an Alden facility, contact our law firm for a free consultation regarding your legal rights and options.

CMS Weak Ratings of Alden Facilities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) routinely rates rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other centers nationwide. The data is accumulated by certified inspectors and updated continuously. The quality measures overall rating evaluates assessment data on how the facility is meeting the needs of every resident.

The staffing data assesses staff work hours of the nursing home’s workforce, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and certified nursing assistants. The health inspections provide valuable insight into how the property is maintained, and services are provided to the residents in need.

The information provides a rating on each facility’s quality measures, staffing, and health inspections. While the Alden facilities in Des Plaines, Barrington, Evanston, Naperville, Skokie, and Chicago (Alden Northmoor) rate are higher than the national average, the other 15 facilities in Illinois and two centers in Wisconsin fell far below the national average.

Inspections from the Illinois Department of Public Health also confirmed findings of poor care at Alden’s long-term care facilities, with the nursing chain regularly receiving fines and violations from state regulators.

Medicare and Medicaid Rules and Regulations

Federal authorities and the Illinois Department of Public Health manage every nursing facility in the state. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Department of Health and Human Services uses an overall rating system based on the national average to evaluate each facility in the United States.

State inspectors review medical records, the quality of care, and nurse staff hours as a part of the overall rating. Additionally, they look for any signs of sexual abuse, personal injury, physical abuse, verbal assault, or other horrific actions by staff members, other home residents, visitors, and employees.

If a violation has been identified, the state regulators report the home abuse, bed sores, or other injuries to the Illinois Department of Health so the information can be made available to the public.

Legal Claims and Lawsuits Filed Against Alden

Like all healthcare centers, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities, Alden has been sued by former patients and surviving family members of loved ones who have died as a result of neglect or abuse at the facility.

In 2013, a former resident filed a lawsuit alleging negligence by the medical staff in violation of the state’s Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. The lawsuit claims that the nursing staff member at the facility moved the patient out of bed and to a wheelchair by abducting her right hip past its midline. The move caused a total fracture of the right femur.

In October 2014, a resident of Alden Estates of Naperville filed suit, alleging negligence claiming he suffered injuries after falling from bed while attempting to reach the nurse’s call light positioned too far away by an employee of the facility. The injuries required revision surgery.

In 2010, an investigation was launched against Alden Village North, examining patterns of violations and deaths occurring at the facility for over ten years. Conclusions at the end of the investigation note incidences where the care of the facility’s residents was either not followed or poorly followed, even though there were explicit instructions for optimal care.

At least one case involving the death of the facility resulted in the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit supported by the state’s nursing home laws.

Nursing Home Negligence Verdicts and Settlements Involving Alden

$861,725 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois

The victim in this dispute was a female in her middle thirties. She entered the Alden long-term care facility with several mental and physical ailments, including depression, schizoaffective disorder, dysphagia, and esophageal reflux syndrome, among other issues. Her stay did not go well.

The particular location was the Alden-Wentworth Rehab & Healthcare Center. While living there, she experienced neglect, emotional abuse, weight loss, dehydration, and other problems. She even developed bedsores (pressure sores) as a result of prolonged pressure and a lack of rotation. These conditions worsened into sepsis, osteomyelitis, and then her death.

Her sisters and parents survived her. They brought a lawsuit against Alden and the specific facility. They argued that the companies were responsible for these developments and her medical issues and death. Eventually, the parties settled for a reported amount worth more than $800,000.

$1,011,865 Verdict; Cook County, Illinois

Here, the estate of a recently deceased woman brought a lawsuit against the Alden Poplar Creek Rehab & Health Care Center. She was just sixty-eight at the time of her passing. Upon her arrival at the home, she was suffering from many serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and incontinence.

She also was battling the effects of smoking addiction. During her stay there, she fell as nurses tried to help her use the washroom. That injury required surgery. However, side effects arose when the surgical site became infected. That demanded follow-up operations and left her unable to walk. She died a little over one year later.

Her estate argued that the facility and its staff were negligent, should have ensured she did not fall and were responsible for the infection as well as her death. At court, the judge ordered a directed verdict on negligence because the plaintiffs demonstrated that the defendants did not abide by accepted medical standards for patient transfer.

Yet, the defendants were able to avoid liability for her death. Nevertheless, the estate recovered more than $1 million. This award was to cover the pain, suffering, loss of a normal life, disfigurement, trauma, and medical bills that the developments caused.

$800,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois

A 76-year-old woman sued here after going through a severe ordeal at a hospital and nursing home. She broke her hip at Alden Poplar Creek Rehab Center. She complained about it for a few days. The nursing staff was slow to identify and diagnose it.

Once it was spotted and treated, she was sent to ManorCare Elk Grove Village for further attention. She fell there and broke her leg too. After these developments, she sued for negligence. Alden was determined not guilty but had agreed to settle with the woman for $400,000. ManorCare also settled with her for the same amount leaving the total recovery at $800,000.

$2,000,000 Verdict; Cook County, Illinois

The events which gave rise to this case occurred at Alden Long Grove. The patient entered the facility after being injured in a car accident. He had paraplegia recovering from a traumatic brain injury. He was just thirty-eight years old.

The trouble arose when he pulled out his feeding tube. The nurse put it back in but did not check his breathing and did not connect it appropriately. When his feedings resumed, he felt pain. That was because the G-tube was put into his peritoneal cavity, and not his stomach.

Nurses said they called the doctor, but he claimed later that he did not receive notice until much later. This missed communication caused a considerable delay for the patient to being transferred to the hospital for emergency care.

Eventually, he was transferred, but it was too late. He died later that night. The estate sued for malpractice and wrongful death. Counsel argued that the improper tube connection caused his death. Also, they offered that the man should have been transferred earlier.

The defendants replied with various objections, including a reference to the missed communication. Yet, a jury still came down with an award of $2 million for the estate (which was made up of the man’s young daughter). That compensation was for lost society, survival damages as well as suffering and pain.

$900,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois

This settlement was for events that occurred at the Alden Valley Ridge Rehab Center. The victim was a 90-year-old woman. She had dementia and could not move around easily. The complaint alleged that a nurse inappropriately handled her as she moved the resident into bed. The incident resulted in substantial bleeding and bruising. Then, things got worse for the woman.

Doctors had to take her off Coumadin because of the bleeding. Eventually, she developed blood clots, which led to a stroke. She died just over one month after these events. The facility fired the nurse. However, that did not prevent the lawsuit. The two sides were able to work out an agreement for the wrongful death claims. The plaintiffs received $900,000. The woman was survived by two children.

Do These Episodes of Abuse at Alden Facilities Sound Familiar? Get Help From a Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Now.

When families place loved ones in the care of a nursing home, such as Alden, they can and should expect to receive the level of care necessary for their loved ones to thrive. Unfortunately, when facilities make a conscientious decision to put the profitability of their facility ahead of the needs of their patients, problems ensue.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC is deeply committed to seeing nursing homes and senior care facilities held accountable when a loved one is injured on their clock. Our firm exclusively represents the injured. If you believe your loved one suffered due to neglect, abuse, or inattention, call us today for a free case evaluation with an experienced nursing home abuse attorney.

An Illinois attorney working on behalf of an innocent victim harmed by caregivers can determine the responsible party in civil lawsuits seeking financial compensation. Home abuse lawyers can build a strong case by obtaining witness testimony, deposing state regulators, gathering evidence, and negotiating settlement offers.

In recent years, our home abuse legal team has obtained over $250 million in financial compensation for our clients. Let us take immediate legal action now on your behalf. Click care for detailed law firm profiles, actions when talking to insurance companies, a comprehensive record review, and other home neglect legal advice.