Nursing home neglect led to the untimely death of a Mid America Care Center nursing home resident, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health inspection report.
The first signs of trouble were noted at 9:00 AM, when a registered nurse (RN) at Mid America Care Center noted a distinct change of condition in one of the residents of the Chicago nursing home. Mid-America Care Center is an extremely large, for-profit nursing home with over 300 beds. The state average is 95.
The RN documented shortness of breath, congestion, and a cough. She placed the resident on BiPAP (a breathing apparatus). This is also the point when the resident’s physician should have been contacted. He or she is responsible for making determinations regarding the care of the patients.
By noon, the resident’s condition had worsened significantly. The RN contacted the man’s physician who ordered that he be sent to a nearby Chicago hospital for an evaluation. The nursing home’s contract ambulance service indicates that the man was successfully transferred to a local hospital at 2:00 PM. The hospital records indicate that it was 4:04 PM before the resident finally reached a hospital.
He was transferred from the emergency room to the Intensive Care Unit, but it was too late. He died from chronic respiratory failure, aspiration pneumonia, and sepsis.
Often, nursing home neglect cases are also wrongful death cases. By the time nursing home neglect has progressed to a point where action is finally being taken, it’s often too late.
The first written indications that the Mid America Care Center resident was deteriorating were noted at 9:00 AM, but clearly the man didn’t develop all of those conditions overnight.
A skilled nursing home neglect and wrongful death lawyer will know how to thoroughly investigate a resident’s medical chart to determine how long the victim’s condition was deteriorating.
One of our core beliefs is that nursing homes are built to fail due to the business model they follow and that unnecessary injuries and illnesses and wrongful deaths of residents are the inevitable result. Order our FREE report, Built to Fail, to learn more about why. Our experienced Chicago nursing home lawyers are ready to help you understand what happened, why, and what your rights are. Contact us to get the help you need.
Other blog posts of interest:
Sauk Valley Living Center fails to care for tracheostomy
Surgical wound infection at Presence Villa Franciscan
Infection from skin tear at Eldorado Rehab
Fatal infection at Alden Northmoor
Click here to file a complaint about a nursing home with the Illinois Department of Public Health.