Resident-to-resident assault is a common occurrence in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Because of that, the staff must be adequately trained to create a safe environment and investigate and report abuse incidents following state law. Unfortunately, many LTC facilities fail to take appropriate measures and provide adequate training to their staff members to ensure resident safety. The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC represent nursing home patients assaulted by other residents and caregivers at Illinois long-term care homes like Bellwood Developmental Center.
Bellwood Developmental Center
This Nursing Facility is an 82-certified-bed ‘for profit’ Home providing services and cares to Bellwood and Cook County, Illinois residents. The Long-Term Care Center is located at:
105 Eastern Ave.
Bellwood, IL 60104
(708) 547-3580
Bellwood LTC Home Resident Safety Concerns
The state nursing home regulatory agency routinely updates its statewide nursing facility database system. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH – ltc.dph.illinois.gov) database contains a historical list of filed complaints, incident inquiries, opened investigations, health violations, and safety concerns of every facility.
The Cook County abuse and neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have reviewed numerous inquiries, deficiencies, and concerns at this long-term care home that include:
- Failure to Report an Incident of Physical Aggression to the Public Health Department as Required by Law In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 08/18/2016, a state surveying agency opened a formal complaint against the nursing home for its failure to “ensure one incident of physical aggression involving [the resident] was reported to Public Health.”The failure was first noted in the state investigator’s findings after reviewing an 08/01/2016 8:30 PM Incident Report that stated that the resident “had a behavior with physical and verbal aggression and property damage.” The document revealed the resident “had been redirected, due to [the resident] entering an area he was not allowed to go into (females room).” The resident “physically overturned furniture in small options that were placed inside of his room […and] was separated from his roommate, and other clients, until [the resident] could calm down.”The investigative narrative documented by the facility manager involving the incident on 08/01/2016 states that the resident “was experiencing behaviors during the afternoon p.m. shift […and] was saying that a female resident was his girlfriend/wife, and the staff was not allowed to touch her, [and] not allowed to tell him what to do.” As the staff intervened the resident “was attempting to inappropriately touch [the female resident, and] became verbally aggressive and noncompliant with staff.” After separating the aggressive resident from others, the staff “closely monitored [the resident] for approximate 45 minutes… To ensure safety.”
The state investigator interviewed the facility’s Administrator on 08/10/2016, who “was asked if the incident was reported to the Public Health, as there is no indication of the report that it had been reported.” The investigator also noted that there was no documentation that “the Police Department was out at the facility to assist and calm [the resident] down.” The Administrator “stated that he had not reported it, which was a mishap on his part.”
- Failure to Properly Investigate an Incident Involving Physical Aggression In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 08/18/2016, a state survey team opened the complaint investigation against the facility for its failure to “ensure one incident of physical aggression was thoroughly investigated involving [two residents].”The state investigator reviewed the resident’s 08/01/2016 Nursing Notes, revealing the resident’s aggressive behavior toward a female resident. The facility notified the resident’s physician and informed the doctor “about the behavior and [received] an order to administer [an antipsychotic medication].” The resident “still attempted to enter the [other resident’s room] and was unaccepting any redirection, so the local Police Department was called. Two police officers came to the facility and spoke with [the resident], telling [the resident] he should not enter [the female resident’s]’s room.”The facility manager was interviewed on the afternoon of 08/10/2016 and explained “that she was the staff person who completed the facility investigation involving [the resident] on 08/01/2016 […and] was asked if she was aware that the police were called since it was not included in her investigation.” The Manager stated, “that she was not sure about police involvement […and] she is not sure who called them, but she thinks it was nursing […and] that she was made aware of it the day after the incident that the police were called.”
The Facility Manager also stated that “she is not sure what [the resident’s] behavior was like when the police arrived, or how long they stayed […and] that some staff [members] were formally interviewed, but she did not include their interviews in her report” as required by law.
Bellwood Illinois Nursing Home Abuse LawyersContact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC today if you believe your loved one was victimized by residents, caregivers, or visitors while a client at Bellwood Developmental Center. Our qualified Illinois attorneys represent victims with cases involving abuse and mistreatment in Illinois nursing facilities.
We encourage you to contact our Cook County area elder abuse law office today at (888) 424-5757 to schedule your no-obligation, comprehensive case evaluation. No upfront retainers or fees are required because we accept every nursing home abuse claim for compensation through contingency fee arrangements.
