Employees at nursing homes in Illinois and other states have many jobs. They may be required to help a patient move from a bed to a wheelchair and back. They may be required to help serve meals or to help disabled patients eat. Others are in charge of distributing medication to the nursing home residents, many of whom have complex dosing requirements and need medication as specified intervals.
The families of those nursing home residents like to believe that the employees and owners of the nursing homes are making sure that all residents are properly cared for and that their basic needs are met daily. Yet too often, stories emerge making it clear that this is not the case. In Chicago nursing homes and others across the nation, some employees are skipping critical care steps, ignoring patient needs, or otherwise acting negligently while performing their jobs. This is leading to serious incidents that leave the nursing home patients injured, or in extreme cases, dead.
It appears that an employee of a New York nursing home may have done just that, skipping a medication round that one of the residents desperately needed. Authorities have brought charges against the female employee alleging that she failed to give prescribed medication to a patient and that she forged documents to cover up her actions. Further claims indicate that the same employee may have skipped blood glucose screening on at least four residents which is needed to determine the proper dose of medication received by each.
The employee has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently awaiting trial in New York.
Though this incident emerged in a New York nursing home, similar situations have been reported in Illinois and have lead to patients being neglected or abused. In many of these cases, Illinois law allows the victims of nursing home neglect to bring a claim for their damages against the responsible nursing home and/or the nursing home employees so that a victim can be adequately compensated for his or her injuries. Failing to provide prescribed medication can be devastating and can cause injuries including a heart attack, stroke, pain and suffering, organ failure, loss of sensation or movement in body parts, or even death.
If you believe that your loved one may have suffered abuse while a resident in a nursing home, make sure you get the answers you deserve. Contact the injury lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. today and let us provide you with a free case consultation. We have a lawyer standing by 24 hours a day to take your call toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575 and at Abels & Annes, P.C., we never charge a fee unless we make a recovery on your behalf.
Do not let your loved one continue to suffer from neglect while in the care of others. Call us today and let us help you.
Prior Blog Entry:
Employee Terminated after Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Resident, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, published November 20, 2013.
Resource:
Nurse charged with not giving medication to nursing home resident, by Berkeley Brean, NBC News 10 Rochester, published December 3, 2013.