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Nursing homes, administrators and the nursing staff are required by law to report any incident or allegation of abuse occurring in their facility. This includes any unexplained fracture, bruise, cut, welt, burn or sore on the resident’s body. Unfortunately, the Wheaton elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have represented many residents in Illinois nursing facilities who have been subjected to abuse by their caregivers and other residents at the facility.
In 2000, the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) conducted a study that uncovered that 44% of all residents in nursing facilities that were surveyed indicated that had been mistreated or abused in the previous year. Many of the abuse victims have been physically or sexually assaulted, victimized or emotionally abused, neglected, mistreated or financially exploited. Without immediate legal assistance, or reporting the incident to appropriate state agencies, the abusive behavior by caregivers and other residents can lead to serious injuries to the resident or, potentially, their death.
DuPage Convalescent CenterDuPage Convalescent Center is a County Government-owned 368-certified bed Medicare/Medicaid-participating facility providing services to residents of Wheaton and DuPage County since the 1930s. The facility is located at:
400 North County Farm RD
Wheaton, Illinois 60187
(630) 665-6400
The DuPage Convalescent Center offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation services.
Wheaton Nursing Home Resident Safety ConcernsThe state of Illinois and the federal government regularly update their nursing home databases to reflect the most recent information on facilities and their opened investigations, filed complaints, health violations and safety concerns. The information is then uploaded online to various websites including Medicare.gov through their comparative analysis star rating summary system.
Currently, DuPage Convalescent Center maintains an overall four out of five available star rating compared with other facilities throughout the United States. This includes 4 out of 5 stars for staffing issues and three out of five stars for both quality measures and health concerns. Even though the facility has an above average rating, our Wheaton Illinois nursing home neglect attorneys have found numerous safety concerns involving this facility. Two of these concerns include:
- Failure to Develop, Implement and Enforce Policies to Prevent Neglect, Mistreatment or Abuse of Residents
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 07/17/2015, a state surveyor made a notation during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "have an abuse prohibition policy and procedure to report allegations of abuse to the Department immediately.” The deficient practice by the administration and nursing staff at DuPage Convalescent Center has the potential of affecting every resident in the facility.
The failure was first noted at 1:15 PM on 07/16/2015 when the “Assistant Administrator who was also the Abuse Prohibition Coordinator reviewed and verified the policy [which] did not specify to report all the allegations of abuse to the department immediately.” The state investigator noted that “the policy did not specify to report all the allegations of abuse, neglect and misappropriation of property to the Department immediately.”
- Failure to Report and Investigate Any Action or Allegation of Abuse, Neglect or Mistreatment of Residents
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 12/29/2015, a notation was made by a state surveyor during an annual licensure and certification survey involving the facility's failure to "report injuries of unknown origin on a resident that was high risk for abuse. The facility also failed to report and investigate [involving] an allegation of abuse to a resident from a staff member.”
The failure was first noted in the resident’s 09/18/2015 Care Plan that documents the resident has “potential for abuse.” It was also noted that on 10/23/2015 the resident had “a 14.0 centimeter by a 3.0-centimeter bruise on her right side under her right arm.” As a result, the facility’s Medical Director “was notified and the resident was examined.” As a result of the examination, the Medical Director “documented to reevaluate the method of the sit-to-stand lift transfer.”
The state investigator also reviewed records that indicated on 11/19/2015, the resident “was noted to have a dark purple bruises and skin tear on the lower left extremity as well as a light purple bruise above the right eyebrow [measuring 0.6 centimeters by 0.6 centimeters].” The investigator noted that “there is no final outcome of how the bruises were obtained or how abuse was ruled out by the facility.”
A review of the facility’s August 2015 policy titled: Resident Abuse/Theft Prevention documents underreporting abuse: “Notify the Supervisor, Administrator, and Abuse Coordinator immediately and complete an initial report.” The document also says “assess the resident, the Administrator will immediately send an initial report to I DPH [Illinois Department of Public Health], an investigation will be conducted. If an employee may be involved, the employee will be removed from the worksite pending investigation result.”
If you suspect your loved one has been abused or mistreated while residing at any Illinois nursing facility including DuPage Convalescent Center, it is crucial to contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers and local law enforcement immediately to report the unacceptable behavior. Our lawyers can assist you and your family members in reporting any incidents of neglect, mistreatment or abuse and take appropriate measures to help you obtain the financial compensation you deserve for your damages.
To successfully resolve your claim for compensation, please contact our Wheaton Illinois nursing home abuse law firm today at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a confidential, free initial consultation. We accept all nursing home neglect cases through contingency fee agreements to avoid the need for an upfront fee.
https://www.dupageco.org/convo/
