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The use of antipsychotic medications in nursing facilities is strictly prohibited unless the physician can show a justifiable diagnosis linking to the resident’s behavior along with an informed consent signed by the patient or their Power of Attorney (POA)/Responsible Family Member. Unfortunately, many facilities failed to follow nursing home regulations and laws and instead use the antipsychotic medication as a way to minimize the need for supervising or monitoring the resident around-the-clock. Unjustified and unauthorized use of these medications are often detrimental to the quality of life of the resident. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers represent nursing home residents who have been mistreated, abused or neglected in Illinois skilled nursing facilities like Heartland of Galesburg through the administration of unauthorized antipsychotic drugs.
Heartland of Galesburg
This Center is a ‘for profit’ 84-certified-bed Medicare/Medicaid-participating Nursing Home providing services and cares to residents of Galesburg and Knox County, Illinois. The facility is located at:
280 East Losey Street
Galesburg, Il 61401
(309) 343-2166
As a part of the Heartland ManorCare Health Care System, Heartland of Galesburg provides post-hospital care, skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation, long-term residential care, memory care, assisted living options, hospice care and IV therapy services.
Galesburg Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
Families can visit Medicare.gov to obtain a complete list of all safety concerns, health violations, filed complaints and opened investigations that is routinely updated by the state of Illinois and the federal government. This information can be used to make a well-informed decision of which nursing homes in the community offer the highest level of care.
Currently, Heartland of Galesburg maintains an overall four out of five available star rating in the Medicare star rating summary system compared to all other nursing homes nationwide. This includes four out of five stars for both health inspections and quality measures and two out of five stars for staffing concerns. The Knox County nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have found numerous safety concerns, violations and deficiencies at this nursing facility that include:
- Failure to Provide Residents a Standard of Care to Avoid the Development of Facility-Acquired Pressure Sores or Allow Existing Pressure Sores to Heal
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 09/24/2015, a state investigator noted a deficient practice during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "identify pressure ulcer.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff was first documented after a review of a resident’s current September 2015 Physician Order Sheet (POS) that provides guidance to the nursing staff to apply topical SSD (Silver Sulfadiazine Cream 1% “to coccyx with adhesive foam dressing once daily and as needed until healed and weekly skin checks every Saturday.”
The investigator also reviewed the resident’s 09/13/2015 Skin Alteration Record indicating the resident’s “current stage II pressure ulcer, located on [the resident’s] coccyx measuring 1.0 centimeters by 1.0 centimeters with no depth, presenting a scab with no drainage.”
The investigator noted that at 1:45 PM on 09/22/2015 at, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) “prepared to perform Wound Care for [the resident and] perform hand hygiene and apply disposable gloves… Then removed the previous dressing from [the resident’s] coccyx.” The Licensed Practical Nurse stated about 15 minutes later that “the resident only had that scabbed area on [their] coccyx. I don’t know where that new pressure ulcer came from. I wasn’t aware of this before.” The Director of Nurses stated the following morning that the resident “only had one area (pinpoint scabbed area) on [their] coccyx. The other ulcer is new.”
- Failure to Ensure That Residents Medication Regimen Is Free from Unnecessary Drugs
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 09/24/2015, a notation was made during an annual licensure and certification survey by a state investigator concerning the facility's failure to "document an indication or diagnosis toward the use of antipsychotic medication [and a failure to] monitor for adverse behaviors.”
The state investigator found that a resident’s 08/25/2015 Physician Order Sheet (POS) documents that the resident “is receiving Abilify (antipsychotic) five milligrams 1-2 by mouth at bedtime.” In addition, a review was made of the 06/26/2015 Psychotropic Medication Informed Consent that documents the resident’s “supporting diagnoses for Abilify 2.5 milligrams for depression.
The state investigator noted that according to the physician’s orders and informed consent, the additional 2.5 milligrams of the psychotropic does not have “a diagnosis link to this medication.”
Galesburg Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If your spouse, parent or grandparent has been injured or died prematurely while residing as a patient at Heartland of Galesburg, call the Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers law firm now. Our seasoned Galesburg knowledgeable attorneys can assist your family in successfully resolving your financial compensation claim against the nursing facility, Administrator, and/or nursing staff that caused your loved one harm.
Schedule your free, no obligation comprehensive case review today by calling our Knox County elder abuse law offices at (888) 424-5757. You are not required to pay any upfront fees or retainers because we accept all nursing home abuse and neglect cases through contingency fee arrangements. This means payment for our legal fees are made only after we have successfully resolved your case in a jury trial or negotiated an out of court settlement on your family’s behalf.
Sources:
http://www.heartland-manorcare.com/Galesburg
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6003446FIK09242015.PDF
