Attorneys for Patients Mistreated at Olson Terrace

Nursing homes, assisted living centers and facilities that provide care to the developmentally disabled are required to provide the ultimate quality of care to all residents and ensure their safety at all times. This requires comprehensive training of the medical staff team and effective administration to ensure the health and well-being of every resident is maintained. However, a lack of communication, poor training and ineffective management can lead to abuse and neglect of our most vulnerable citizens.

Our team of dedicated nursing home abuse attorneys serve as legal advocates to nursing home and assisted living residents statewide. We offer current information on nursing facilities in Illinois to assist families when placing a loved one in the care of others.

Olson Terrace

Olson Terrace is a 16-bed intermediate care facility providing services for developmentally disabled residents of Winnebago County including Rockford, Illinois. The facility is located at:

3006 Alida St.
Rockford, IL 61103
(815) 963-4927

Rockford Nursing Facility Safety Concerns

As an ICF/DD (Intermediate Care Facility/Developmentally Disabled) center, Olson Terrace is required to provide round-the-clock personal care along with developmental, rehabilitation and supportive health services to residents who need assistance with primary needs and those that require intermittent or recurrent skilled nursing services.

By law, the federal government and state of Illinois regulate the facility through the Illinois Department of Public Health by performing scheduled and non-scheduled inspections and surveys year round. Currently, the Rockford Illinois nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have found a lack of standards at Olson Terrace established through file complaints and during annual certification and licensure surveys. Some of these issues involve safety concerns such as:

• Failure to Provide an Environment Free of Verbal Abuse by the Nursing Staff

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 02/04/2009 during an annual certification survey, a notation is made that the standard was not met when the “facility failed to implement policies to protect [a resident] from verbal abuse.” The findings involve “a 68-year-old woman whose diagnoses include; Moderate Mental Retardation and Cerebral Palsy.” While reviewing a 3-3-08 investigation at the facility, notations were made that the resident “on at least one occasion the (Direct Service Provider) [and other nursing staff] stated [to the resident] that she ‘smelled bad, and has one good hand to wash with.’”

“The investigation also states that [a nursing staff member] that she needed a bath ‘because she does not smell so good.’ [The nursing staff member] said that she did not believe her comments to [the resident] were inappropriate.” “The investigation also notes that [the resident] has significant impairment in her left hand and moderate impairment in her right hand.”

• Failure to Provide Proper Communication between Clients and Family Members

In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 02/09/2011 during an annual licensure and certification survey, a notation is made of the facility’s failure “to properly notify the Guardian of [a resident]”. This is in response to findings that of “43-year-old man whose diagnosis include; Severe Mental Retardation, Atlantoaxial Deviation and Down’s Syndrome.”

During a review and interview of the records, it was noted that the resident’s 3-26-10 individual service plan (ISP) states that “he should not engage in activities such as contact sports, horseback riding, etc., which could cause impact to the spinal column due to the diagnosis of Atlantoaxial Deviation. This action is in response to a review of the resident’s 2-26-10 Health History and Assessment form indicating that the resident saw his physician on 3-11-09 for a “Special Olympics examination.”

After a recommendation of an x-ray and MRI of the spine, it was noted that the resident “had been uncooperative with procedure and [the resident’s guardian] signed a consent for sedation to help [the resident] relax.” In follow-up reviews it is noted that there was a major lack of communication to “keep [the Guardian] informed” concerning the resident’s medical status, which is in direct violation of the laws regulating the facility.

Rockford Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

If you, or your loved one, have suffered injuries, harm or neglect while residing at Olson Terrace, or any other nursing/assisted-living facility in Illinois, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can help. Our team of dedicated Rockford nursing home abuse attorneys can take immediate legal action to stop the neglect and provide numerous options to obtain financial compensation for your harm.

We encourage you to call our law offices today at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a no-obligation, free initial consultation to discuss your case. We accept these types of nursing home abuse claims for compensation on contingency, so no upfront fees are required.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6010839FIK02042009.pdf