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Falling and suffering serious injury is a common occurrence in many nursing facilities in Illinois. Typically, the result of a fall usually produces a fracture to the resident’s wrists, elbows, skull, femur, pelvis, or hips. If the head is traumatized, the resident offer suffers cranial hemorrhaging, concussions, loss of vision, paralysis, and at times, death. In fact, the elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have represented many victims in nursing facilities who have suffered catastrophic injuries caused by the neglect of the nursing staff.
In addition to routinely assessing a resident’s condition, nursing homes are also required to properly train the staff on how to use transfer equipment when moving the resident between the wheelchair and bed, toilet, or tub. Any failure to follow established procedures and protocols increases the resident’s potential of suffering serious harm or injury unnecessarily.
Northwoods Care Centre
Northwoods Care Centre is a 113-certified bed facility participating in Medicare and Medicaid. The center is a for-profit company serving residents of Belvidere and Boone County. The facility is located at:
2250 Pearl Street
Belvidere, Illinois 61008
(815) 544-0358
Their orthopedic rehabilitation program includes:
- Joint replacement
- Fractures
- Cervical and lumbar injuries
- Arthritis and osteoporosis
- Amputations
- Respiratory Care specializes in:
- Asthma
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Emphysema
- End Stage Respiratory Failure
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Respiratory Failure
In addition to these services they also offer complex wound care, cardiac rehab, respite care, and Alzheimer’s/dementia care.
Belvidere Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
On an annual basis, state and federal nursing home regulatory agencies routinely update their comparison database involving nursing facilities nationwide. They post this updated information on their national website Medicare.gov. Currently, Northwoods care Center maintains an overall three out of five available star rating when compared to other facilities in the United States. This includes four out of five stars for quality measures and two out of five stars for both health concerns and staffing issues.
Our Boone County nursing home neglect attorneys have found numerous filed complaints and opened investigations involving the facility. Two of these include:
- Failure to Ensure That Every Resident Is Provided an Environment Free of Accident Hazards and Provide Adequate Supervision to Prevent an Avoidable Accident
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 12/11/2015, a notation was made by a state investigator during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "ensure the resident was transferred in a safe manner by not utilizing a transfer belt and two-person staff assist.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Northwoods Care Centre involved one resident at the facility “reviewed for falls.”
The failure was first noted at 9:15 AM on 12/08/2015 when the resident “was transferred from the wheelchair to the toilet by [a Certified Nursing Aide who lifted the resident] by the pant waistband and assisted [the resident] to the toilet.” At that time, the Certified Nursing Aide “did not use a gait (transfer) belt or second staff member during the transfer. While standing at the toilet to have her pants lower, [the resident] staggered from side to side.” The Certified Nursing Aide stated, “oh, you are a little wobbly today” before grabbing the resident’s arm to steady her.”
In a follow-up interview with the state investigator, the Certified Nursing Aide stated that the resident “should have been transferred with a gait belt and two staff members [… stating that the resident] has had falls in the past and is weak.”
- Failure to Ensure that Every Resident Is Provided an Accident-Free Environment and Provide Adequate Supervision to Ensure Their Safety
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 06/16/2015, a notation was made by a state investigator during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "transfer a resident with a mechanical lift in a safe manner.” In addition, the state investigator also noted the facility’s failure “to position a resident in bed while providing care in a manner to avoid injury.” These failures by the nursing staff at Northwoods Care Centre involved two residents at the facility.
In one incident occurring at 12:45 PM on 06/15/2015, two Certified Nursing Assistants at the facility transfered the resident “from the wheelchair to the toilet using a mechanical stand lift” using a sling with four straps. At that time, the Certified Nursing Assistant “position two straps under [the resident’s] arms and allow the two straps (that should go under [the resident’s] legs) to hang down on the sides.” The resident “held onto the handles of the lift and [one of the Certified Nursing Aides] raised her to a standing position [before moving] to the left into the bathroom” to place the resident on the toilet.”
The deficient practice by Certified Nursing Aides violates the facility’s policy titled: Restorative: Safe Lifting and Movement of Residents that reads in part “this facility uses appropriate techniques and devices to lift and move residents.”
Boone County Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
Any injury that occurs to the resident caused by the failure of the nursing staff that requires emergency medical care typically constitutes adequate evidence of negligence. In these cases, the victim is usually entitled to receive financial compensation to cover their injuries, damages, and losses.
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury while residing at Northwoods Care Centre or any other Illinois nursing facility, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can provide immediate legal assistance in seeking financial compensation. We encourage you to call our Boone County elder abuse law offices today at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation. We handle these cases through contingency fee agreements, so no upfront payment is required.
http://www.northwoodscare.com/
