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Many families choose to place a loved one in a nursing facility because providing the level of care required at home is often too challenging to ensure their loved one’s safety. Unfortunately, the actions of the nursing staff at many nursing facilities can cause significant harm to the resident. Unfortunately, the Lincoln elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have handled many cases where the resident suffered serious injury or death due to a medication error caused by the negligent actions of a poorly trained nurse.
Common types of medical mistakes in nursing facilities involve:
- Giving the resident too little or too much of the drug
- Slicing/crushing the medication that should never be altered
- Failing to provide necessary fluids when administering the medication
- Failing to provide food when administering the drug
- Forgetting to roll, mix or shake the medication as required by the manufacturer
- Failing to properly monitor the resident after the drug has been administered
- Providing unnecessary prescription medications as a way to control or subdue the resident
- Administering the medication at the incorrect time, at the wrong rate, or at the wrong duration
- Administering the right medication to the wrong resident that can produce catastrophic adverse reactions
Overmedicating or giving the wrong drug or the wrong dose are all too common problems occurring in nursing facilities all throughout Illinois. Instead of providing the resident with the attention and level of care they deserve, the staff neglects common practices and procedures proven to ensure the resident’s safety.
Symphony of Lincoln
Symphony of Lincoln is a 126-certified bed Medicaid/Medicare-participating for-profit nursing facility providing services to residents of Lincoln and Logan County. The Symphony Post-Acute Network-associated facility is located at
2202 N. Kickapoo St.
Lincoln, Illinois 62656
(217) 735-1538
Rehabilitation services provided by Symphony of Lincoln include:
- Joint replacements and post-operative orthopedic surgery care
- Heart conditions and cardiac procedure care
- Brain injury and stroke rehabilitation
- Respiratory disease care
- Complex post-surgical wound care
- Complex respiratory and ventilator unit care
- Physical, respiratory, occupational and speech therapies
Lincoln Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
On a routine basis, the state of Illinois and the federal government update their nursing facility databases to reflect currently opened investigations, filed complaints, safety concerns and health violations of nursing homes throughout the United States. The updated data is then posted online on numerous websites including Medicare.gov through their comparative star rating summary system analysis tool.
Currently, Symphony of Lincoln maintains an overall five out of five available star rating compared to all other facilities nationwide. This includes five out of five stars for quality measures, four out of five stars for staffing issues and three out of five stars for health concerns. However, our Lincoln nursing home neglect attorneys have found safety concerns involving this facility that include:
- Failure to Avoid Medication Errors Including Administering the Wrong Drug, Wrong Dose, or the Right Drug at the Wrong Time
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 02/11/2016, a notation was made by a state surveyor during an annual licensure and certification survey involving the facility's failure to "had an error rate of 41.9%; 13 errors and 31 opportunities for error is affecting one resident [at the facility] observed during medication administration.”
The failure was first noted in the resident’s February 2016 Order Review Report that revealed the resident had multiple orders to receive different medications “via gastronomy to one time a day.” However, the state investigator noted that the resident’s “order review report documented no order for fluid restrictions.” In addition, the investigator noted that the Licensed Practical Nurse administering the medication did so “without administering each separately and without flushing with water in between each medication” as required by nursing home policies and procedures.
At 10:05 AM on 02/08/2016, the state investigator interviewed the Licensed Practical Nurse administering the medication who stated that “it is a normal process to combine all gastronomy two medications together and not flush in between each medication.” The facility’s Director of Nursing was that interviewed that same morning at 11:15 AM who stated: “we mix gastronomy tube medications when administering them.”
The state investigator noted that the actions of the Licensed Practical Nurse and the supervisor training of the Director of Nursing failed to follow the facility’s 12/01/2014 policy titled Crushing Medications and Enteral Administration Policy that provides direction to the nursing staff on how to administer medication. The policy reads in part:
“Crushed/open medications should be administered separately and the gastronomy to flush in between each. Liquid medication should be administered separately since their chemical stability is dependent on their environment.”
Lincoln Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you suspect your loved one has suffered harm due to a medication error while residing at Symphony of Lincoln or any other Illinois nursing facility, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can help you in demanding justice. Our Lincoln County elder abuse attorneys can fight for your loved one’s rights and build a solid case to ensure they receive the financial recompense they deserve.
Contact our Lincoln Illinois nursing home abuse law firm today at (888) 424-5757 to successfully resolve your financial compensation claim. No upfront fees are required because we only accept nursing home neglect and abuse cases through contingency fee agreements. Our legal services are paid only after we negotiate your successful out-of-court settlement or win your case in a lawsuit trial.
