Residents in Illinois who have family members in nursing homes may be interested in a lawsuit that was filed in another state. Nine employees of the nursing home have recently been indicted, possibly for nursing negligence. Seven of these employees were indicted in connection to the death of a 72-year-old woman. They were also accused of a cover-up.
In the last six years, 17 employees have been convicted of negligence and other different crimes. Since nine have recently been indicted, that number could climb. In spite of the downward spiral, regulators consistently gave the nursing home passing grades. The contradiction between the grades and the actual care received makes it a focal point to make sure elderly patients receive appropriate standards of care.
In a response to the charges, legal counsel for the nursing home stated that none of the workers committed any crimes. However, a number of the staff members in the past were convicted of altering documents to avoid leaving a paper trail of neglect and abuse. Doing this made it even more challenging when regulators performed on-site inspections since they entrusted that the records were accurate. In spite of this, it is believed that regulators need to be more aware of being deceived.
Nursing negligence may cause many patient injuries in Illinois nursing homes and in nursing homes everywhere. Failure to issue appropriate care can ultimately result in death. In this case, the woman may have survived if nursing staff had followed proper care guidelines. The family of the deceased woman may have the right to file a wrongful death claim against the workers and the nursing home. This could give the family a sense of justice as well as financial relief.
Source: Newsday, “How did Medford home get passing grades?“, , June 15, 2014