In this segment we investigate the publicly available information regarding a Chicago area nursing home as a service to family members who are seeking nursing home services or who have loved ones already placed in facilities. The Bronzeville Park Nursing and Living Center in Chicago, Illinois is a for profit nursing home with 302 certified beds. Currently, it holds 246 residents. It first opened in 1977, and it shows. The facility is a dinosaur, seeming to encapsulate precisely all the attributes that make seniors dread and fear nursing homes. The nursing home is completely institutionalized. No one likes being in a hospital, and yet the Bronzeville Park Nursing and Living Center is as institutionalized as they come. With literally hundreds of residents living together, it serves as a depressing reminder of the poor quality of life that many our our citizens contend with in the final years of their lives. Bronzeville Park is severely understaffed. Nursing homes report the number of staffing hours per resident in each of several categories. Bronzeville Park provides less staffing than the national average in all categories – sometimes, drastically so. Bronzeville Park averages an hour less CNA (Certified Nurse’s Aide) hours for each resident. They have only 1/3 of the Licensed Practical nurse staffing as the average nursing home. Perhaps most alarmingly, Bronzeville Park has a recurring problem maintaining fire safety. In a nursing home with as many residents as Bronzeville Park has, maintaining fire safety systems needs to be an absolute priority. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be. Fire safety inspectors have found numerous fire doors locked or blocked, and sprinkler systems that don’t function. Needless to say, the potential for a tragedy looms large. In spite of these failings, Bronzeville Park has had relatively few violations for two of the most common nursing home neglect symptoms: bedsores and falls. In fact, the state of Illinois has not posted a violation report for Bronzeville Park in over a year. If you have a loved one who you feel has suffered from abuse or neglect in Bronzeville Park or any Chicago area nursing home, contact my law offices for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
The Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C.
Chicago Nursing Home Lawyer