A nursing home resident at Alden Estates of Barrington in Barrington, Illinois was rushed to the emergency department at 2:00 PM last June. There’s no specific note in the report from the Illinois Department of Public Health as to who ordered the ambulance, but that person very possibly saved the resident’s life.
The Emergency Department nurse who admitted the resident performed a complete evaluation of the resident, and the breakdown is a catalog of evidence indicating nursing home neglect. According to the nurse, the resident was confused and in pain. There was profound skin breakdown from bed sores on her hip, and it appeared that the area had not been cleaned between treatments. An additional Stage III bed sore on her leg was emitting a foul odor and additional drainage.
The resident had a central line insertion in her arm. A central line insertion is a long term Intravenous drip (IV) used for getting medications and fluids into the body. The line was blocked, and the site where the line entered her body was red, irritated, and draining fluid. The doctor’s orders for the IV line indicated that the line was to be changed every week and “as needed.”
The line was dated 5/31/12. The woman was admitted to the ER on June 22. The line had not been changed for over three weeks! Lab results taken at the hospital revealed that the woman was also suffering from dehydration, sepsis, and pneumonia.
This is one of the most egregious cases of nursing home neglect that written about in a very long time. Needless to say, the resident was very lucky to have survived. According to the report, Alden Estates of Barrington has not undertaken any investigation to address the report issued by the hospital.
If you have a loved one who has been the victim of nursing home neglect in an Illinois nursing home, especially if they have developed bed sores or pressure ulcers, please don’t hesitate to contact our Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.