Investigation details neglect and abuse at Chicago nursing home for disabled children

Our Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers share the concern of the community about the recent neglect and abuse allegations involving homes that care for disabled children.

Of particular note in this area is the Alden Village North facility, where problems, including an alarming number of deaths involving young children, have persisted for decades, according to an investigation by the Chicago Tribune.

On one level, the challenges should come as no surprise after the recent investigations into poor care and the presence of wanted felons and mentally ill patients in the adult nursing home system. Yet is was still disheartening to read that the state’s oversight is in such shambles that it cannot even judge the true scope of the problem at Alden or the state’s 300 other facilities that care for people with developmental disability.

At Aiden, 13 children and young adults have died since 2000 in cases cited by the state as involving neglect or other violations.

In one case, a 4-year-old boy died after employees failed to respond to an alarm on his monitor. Less than a month later, a 4-year-old girl died the same way.

A state investigation found the volume had been turned so low the alarms could not be heard. The Tribune reported that such problems have persisted for decades at the facility, despite changes in ownership and the knowledge of investigators and state officials.

Even basic hygiene has been neglected.

Parents of five of the children who died in the facility did not even know the facility had been cited for their deaths until told by newspaper investigators. The home has been fined $190,000 in the last decade but has paid just $21,450.

If you have concerns about possible abuse or neglect Illinois nursing home, contact our Chicago nursing home attorneys and wrongful death lawyers at Abels & Annes for a free consultation to discuss your rights. Call (866) 99-ABELS.