Symphony of Hanover Park

Nursing home abuse and neglect is a serious issue that often goes unreported. Older adults who reside in nursing homes are at high risk for abuse and neglect, which can result in physical, emotional, and financial harm. Unfortunately, many cases of nursing home abuse and neglect go unnoticed.

Was your loved one a victim of nursing home abuse while residing at Symphony of Hanover Park? The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC are legal advocates for injured victims and surviving family members seeking justice in the compensation they deserve.

Contact our nursing home abuse attorneys at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Symphony Hanover Park

This facility is a 150-certified bed Medicare and Medicaid-approved for-profit nursing facility (not a continuing care retirement community) providing care and services to Cook County residents. Symphony of Hanover Park is located at:

2000 West Lake St

Hanover Park, IL 60133

(630) 556-2000

Website: https://symphonyhanoverpark.com/

Symphony of Hanover Park provides care, services, and amenities, including:

• Amputations and prosthetic rehabilitation
• Chronic renal disease care
• Diabetes education and management
• Home health
• Hospice
• Intravenous and nutritional therapy
• Neurological conditions care
• Occupational therapy
• Pain management
• Personalized rehabilitation program
• Physical therapy
• Post-acute care
• Post-surgical recovery
• Pulmonary care
• Respiratory rehabilitation
• Speech therapy
• Stroke and brain injury rehabilitation
• Transitional rehabilitation care
• Wound care
• A dedicated and experienced staff

The services provided at this facility are unavailable at some nursing homes in the Symphony Care Network.

Symphony of Hanover Park Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) routinely updates their informational data on all nursing homes throughout the United States. The information reveals all:

• Violations
• Substandard quality measures
• Health inspection concerns
• Penalties and fines
• Facility-reported incidents
• Submitted complaints
• Failing to follow professional standards

Many families use this information to determine the best nearby nursing homes when choosing the best facility to relocate loved ones requiring short-term or long-term care. The information also reveals any Special Focus Facility in the community that fails to follow currently accepted professional principles at numerous levels when providing care.

Medicare and Medicaid Services uses a star rating system to reveal the overall rating of every nursing home that accepts Medicare, including Symphony of Hanover Park. This facility currently maintains two out of five stars compared to all other facilities nationwide. The ratings include:

• Three out of five stars for health inspections
• One out of five stars for staffing issues
• Four out of five stars for quality measures

The DuPage County personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC have reviewed numerous documents involving inspections, violations, and surveys at Symphony of Hanover Park Nursing Home and found serious concerns, including:

Failure to Provide and Implement an Infection Prevention and Control Program – Deficiency #F0880

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 29, 2021, the state inspectors determined that Symphony of Hanover Park Nursing Home failed to “follow standards of infection prevention and control program practices with regards to handwashing, [wearing] personal protective equipment (PPE) and indwelling catheter care.”

State investigators observed a housekeeper entering a resident’s room to clean without wearing proper PPE as required. The housekeeper failed to wear an N95 mask, face shield, or isolation gown.

When asked, the nursing home housekeeper said she does not like wearing an N95 mask because of her blood pressure” and did not remove the gloves and surgical masks or perform hand hygiene before performing other tasks.

Potential Spread of Covid-19

In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated May 19, 2022, the state inspectors determined that Symphony of Hanover Park Nursing Home failed to “isolate Covid-positive residents to prevent possible spreading.” Thirty-nine residents affected by the deficiency all live on the 3rd floor.

The survey observed a nursing home resident’s room with a contact and droplet isolation sign and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) at the door side with the door wide open. Observations were made of a resident in the hallway in her wheelchair not wearing any mask while wandering the hallway and entering other rooms to use the bathroom.

Failure to Follow Covid-19 Protocols

In a third summary statement of deficiencies dated September 29, 2021, the state inspectors determined that  Hanover Park Symphony Nursing Home failed to “follow their policy for transmission-based precautions. The nine residents affected by this deficiency had been reviewed for transmission-based precautions.

Investigators interviewed the nursing home administrator, who said the “facility did not have any residents that were positive for Covid-19 or any residents under investigation was symptoms.” However, the Director of Nursing said that “staff should be wearing a gown and gloves to enter every room in the facility due to a staff member who tested positive.”

Failure to Provide Appropriate Pressure Ulcer Care and Prevent New Ulcers from Developing – Deficiency #F0686

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated August 21, 2019, the state inspectors determined that Symphony of Hanover Park Nursing Home failed to “ensure pressure relieving interventions were in place for a resident with pressure injuries.”

The investigation involved a resident whose wound report indicated he was “at high risk for pressure injuries and had a pressure injury to her right heel.” The report indicates that the physician ordered the resident to wear a heeled boot while in bed.

Investigators observed the nursing home resident in bed “complaining of pain to the right heel, with no pillow under the right foot or heel boot.” There was a foam heel boot across the room in a chair.

Failure to Ensure Each Resident’s Drug Regimen Must Be Free from Unnecessary Drugs – Deficiency #F0757

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 14, 2020, the state inspectors determined that Hanover Park Symphony Nursing Home failed to “have a physician’s order [before] administering of medication.”

The investigators reviewed the nursing home resident’s Incident Report by a Former Agency Nurse, documenting a new complaint of pain or physical discomfort and redness to the right eye. The nurse applied a medicated face cream and a roll-on medication to the shoulders.

However, when asked, there was no order by the nursing home. Resident’s doctor or attending physician for the medications to be administered to the resident.

When Nursing Home Staff Fails to Heal Existing Bed Sores

Bed sores (pressure sores, pressure wounds, pressure ulcers, decubitus ulcers) are common and serious problems for nursing home residents. Pressure wounds can lead to infection, bone damage, and death when left untreated.

What Are Bed Sores?

Bed sores are painful wounds that occur when pressure is applied to an area of the body for an extended period. Bed sores most commonly occur on bony areas of the body, such as the hips, ankles, and lower back.

Nursing home residents are at high risk for developing bed sores because they often have difficulty moving independently and are confined to beds or chairs for long periods. Common causes of bedsores in a nursing home environment include:

• • Lack of assistance: Every long-term or short-term rehab center must provide acute care for any onset bedsore development to protect the skin from further decline at a wound site. Nursing home residents are often neglected and left unattended for hours, developing painful and dangerous bed sores.

• • Poor nutrition: When nursing home residents aren’t given enough to eat, their skin becomes weak and more susceptible to bedsores.Malnourishment also causes residents’ bodies to become less able to fight off infection, making bedsores more likely to develop and spread.

• • Limited mobility: Nursing home residents who can’t move around very much are more likely to develop bedsores, as they’re not getting the blood flowing to all body parts. This is often due to a lack of assistance from staff, which should help residents get up and move around as much as possible.

• • Pressure sores: Residents sitting or lying in the same position for too long are at risk of developing pressure sores, which can turn into nasty and dangerous bed sores if not treated immediately. Staff should provide residents with proper treatment and rotate the patient every 90 minutes to help prevent pressure sores from developing.

• • Poor hygiene: Long-term care residents who aren’t bathed or cleaned regularly are more likely to develop bedsores, as bacteria and fungus can build up on their skin and cause irritation. Nursing facilities must provide good hygiene practices for all residents to prevent bedsores from forming.

• • Incontinence: When nursing home residents can’t control their bladder or bowels, they’re at high risk for developing bedsores, as they often sit in urine or feces for long periods. This can cause the skin to break down and become infected.

• • Age: Elderly nursing home residents are more prone to developing bedsores than younger people, as their skin is thinner and less elastic than when they were younger. This makes them less able to heal quickly from wounds or pressure sores.

• • Smoking: Anyone who smokes cigarettes should know it greatly increases a person’s risk for developing bedsores, as it causes the blood vessels in the skin to shrink, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the skin cells properly, which makes it much harder for the skin to heal once it’s been damaged.

• • Diabetes: People with diabetes are more prone to developing bedsores, as poor blood circulation caused by the disease can make it difficult for the skin to heal properly from wounds or pressure wounds. Nursing homes should be aware of this risk factor and take steps to prevent bed sores from developing in diabetic patients.

• Obesity: People who are obese are also at greater risk for developing bedsores, as they often have difficulty moving around due to their size. The extra weight can lead to them being in the same position for long periods of time, increasing their chances of developing pressure ulcers on their skin.

What Are the Consequences of Untreated Bed Sores?

If left untreated, bed sores can quickly become infected, leading to sepsis, a potentially deadly condition caused by bacteria in the bloodstream. In addition to infection, bed sores can cause bone damage and muscle weakness. In some cases, Untreated bed sores can even result in death.

Risks of Abruptly Stopping Antipsychotic Drugs: Why Licensed Pharmacists Recommend Gradual Dose Reductions

Licensed pharmacists who provide pharmaceutical services and nursing homes play a vital role in preventing actual harm to residents. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines, pharmacists ensure that medications are prescribed and administered correctly.

Over the years, pharmacists have become concerned about the risks associated with abruptly stopping antipsychotic medications in nursing home patients.

A licensed pharmacist might recommend a gradual dose reduction on discontinuing antipsychotic medications in nursing home patients. However, any abrupt discontinuation of the drugs could cause severe withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, headaches, diarrhea, and dizziness.

Abrupt discontinuation can also cause a relapse of the original condition that the medication was prescribed to treat. Sometimes, this relapse can be more severe than the original condition. Finally, abruptly stopping antipsychotic medications can also cause new or worsening mental health symptoms.

For these reasons, it is generally recommended that antipsychotic medications be tapered off gradually rather than stopped abruptly. Tapering off these medications slowly allows the patient’s body to adjust to the change and minimizes the risk of withdrawal symptoms and relapse.

The Nursing Staff Must Prevent Avoidable Accidents That Could Cause Actual Harm to Residents

Every year, nursing home residents experience a high rate of injuries due to avoidable accidents. These accidents are typically the result of hazardous conditions within the nursing home.

Unsafe walking surfaces, slippery floors, and cluttered work areas are some potential hazards that can lead to serious injuries for nursing home residents.

Nursing home staff and employees must identify and correct any accident hazards within the caregiving center. Unfortunately, many facilities fail to do this, so their residents are at an increased risk for injury.

Falls can happen when floors are slippery, obstacles are in the way, or when residents are not properly supervised. Exposure to hazardous materials can occur when residents come into contact with cleaning products or other chemicals used in the caregiving center.

Nursing home fires can be started by defective electrical equipment, careless smoking habits, and unattended stoves or candles. Fires can cause serious injuries to residents and staff members and are one of the leading causes of death in nursing homes.

Hire Personal Injury Lawyers to Resolve Your Nursing Home Compensation Claim

Do you suspect your loved one was abused or neglected while residing at Symphony Hanover Park or another Illinois long-term care facility? The nursing home abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help.

Talk to our Chicago, IL law firm at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form

to schedule a free consultation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Our personal injury attorneys accept all nursing home abuse cases and wrongful death lawsuits on a contingency fee agreement

. This arrangement ensures you will pay no upfront fees until our law firm obtains financial recovery through a negotiated settlement or jury award.

Resources:

• CDC – Long-Term Care
• CMS – Covid-19 Data