Any change in an Illinois nursing home resident’s condition must be immediately reported to their physician and Power of Attorney (POA)/Responsible Family Member. This quick notification ensures that the injured, sick or health-declining patient can receive immediate medical attention if necessary. Unfortunately, many nursing homes fail to adequately train their nursing staff or neglect to take appropriate measures in accordance with facility policy and state/federal laws concerning notification and providing treatment. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC represent patients residing at Illinois nursing homes like Rock Falls Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, who have suffered from the negligence of their caregivers.
Rock Falls Rehabilitation and Health Care Center
This Nursing Facility is a Medicare/Medicaid-accepted ‘for profit’ Center providing services to residents of Rock Falls and Whiteside County, Illinois. The 55-bed Home is located at:
430 Martin Road
Rock Falls, IL 61071
(815) 626-4575
As a part of the Peterson Health Care System, Rock Falls Rehabilitation & Health Care Center provides its residents memory care, Alzheimer’s care, skilled nursing care and the Peterson Pathways Rehabilitation Program.
Rock Falls Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
A list of safety concerns, health violations, filed complaints and opened investigations on nationwide nursing homes can be downloaded from federal and state database websites including Medicare.gov. Many families use this data to determine the best facility to place a loved one who requires the highest level of hygiene assistance and skilled health care.
Currently, Rock Falls Rehab and Health Care Center maintains an overall three out of five available star rating in the Medicare comparative system. This includes five out of five stars for staffing concerns, three out of five stars for health inspections and one out of five stars for quality measures. The Whiteside County nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have located various safety concerns and deficiencies at this nursing facility that include:
- Failure to Notify a Resident’s Physician of a Change in Their Condition Including a Decline in Their Health or Injury In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 08/11/2016, an Illinois state agency investigator made a notation during an annual licensure and certification survey of the facility’s failure to “notify the physician and resident’s power of attorney in a timely manner when a resident had a change in their condition.”The deficient practice was first noted in the state investigator’s findings after an observation was made of a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Social Services Director and Director of Nursing “standing at the Nurses’ Station.” The LPN stated that the resident “was sent to the hospital to be evaluated for a fall that occurred at 1:20 AM […and] said she called [the resident’s] hospice group to inform them of the fall at the time of the incident and sent a fax to [the resident’s] primary care physician.” However, the LPN stated that the “physician would not receive the fax until his office practice ‘opened in the morning’.”
At this part of the conversation, the Director of Nursing stated that the resident’s “Power of Attorney (POA) probably should have been called at the time of the occurrence” and the Social Services Director stated that she “has a good rapport with the resident’s POA and knows ‘she would have wanted [the resident] sent out as soon as possible’.”
The LPN stated that “she did not notify the Power of Attorney (POA) because she had nothing to report […and] said, until hospice arrived to evaluate [the resident] and decided sending them to the hospital was the next course of action, she didn’t see the need to worry the POA.”
The resident’s POA was notified at 9:42 AM on 08/11/2016 and stated “she was not aware of the delay in treatment for [the resident] nor of the time the incident occurred […and] said she received a call about 6:00 AM from the hospice nurse stating [the resident] had fallen in the early morning hours.”
The state investigator noted that the actions of the nursing staff failed to follow the facility’s undated policy titled: Notification of Change in Resident’s Condition or Status that reads in part:
“The nurse on duty will notify the resident’s attending physician or on-call physician when there has been… an accident or incident involving the resident… a need to transfer the resident to the hospital/treatment center… The resident is involved in any accident or incident that results in an injury, including injuries of unknown source.”
Rock Falls Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you suspect your loved one has been abused or neglected while living at Rock Falls Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, you must act quickly by calling the Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC law office to stop the mistreatment now. Our Rock Falls law firm can provide various options and legal representation on your behalf to hold those responsible for causing your loved one harm both legally and financially accountable.
We encourage you to contact our Whiteside County elder abuse law offices by calling (888) 424-5757 today to schedule your free, full case evaluation. We provide immediate legal representation without any upfront payment or fee. Our legal services are paid only after we have successfully resolved your case in a court of law or through a negotiated out-of-court settlement.
Sources:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6008114FIK08112016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6008114FIAK07232015.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6008114FA05012015.PDF
http://www.petersenhealthcare.net/rock-falls/
http://bit.do/RILnursing-Rock-Falls-Rehab
