Three residents at the Franklin Grove Living and Rehab in Franklin Grove, Illinois experienced dangerous mishaps at the facility, and the nature of those incidents indicates a lack of leadership and training.
The first incident occurred during a transfer of a resident to her wheelchair using a mechanical lift. The woman’s foot got caught in the foot pedal during the transfer and severely cut her leg. The woman was hospitalized and required 24 staples to close the wound. The nursing home claimed to have inservice days but that “only 50-60 percent of the staff shows up.”
Another resident fell from his shower chair and fractured his hip. According to the CNA present, he began “fidgeting” and fell while waiting for a second CNA to attempt a transfer.
Dysphagia is a condition that makes it difficult or impossible to swallow. It’s a common side effect of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Obviously, residents with this condition have special diets of soft foods and must be supervised while eating. Nevertheless, a resident with dysphagia was given a tray of standard food and left alone to eat it. It’s fortunate that she did not choke, or a family would have lost a member, and the nursing home may have been guilty of a wrongful death.
The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid give Franklin Grove Nursing Home an average rating, but the level of staffing for Registered Nurses is far below average. In fact, Registered Nurse staffing is roughly half of the Illinois average.
Staff turnover is an issue in almost every business. It’s commonly accepted that happy employees stay in a job, and unhappy employees don’t. It is essential that nursing homes make certain that any new hires are well trained in nursing home care. As these examples illustrated, it’s easy to make a mistake that results in serious and potentially fatal injuries.
If you have loved ones injured in a Chicago nursing home, contact our law offices for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
Other blog posts of interest:
Improper transfer at Lexington of Streamwood
Unsafe transfer at Danville Care Center