Resident Rolled Out of Bed by Staff at Generations of Applewood

The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a citation against the Generations at Applewood nursing home in Matteson. The resident suffered a fractured hip as a result which required surgery.

The resident at issue had diagnoses which included muscle weakness and dementia. Her care plan called for assist of two with bed mobility. This means two staff members were required to move the resident while she was in bed.

The accident occurred when a single aide was providing incontinence care to the resident. By itself, this is desirable as it helps prevent the development of bed sores. However, there was only a single aide helping with the resident, and while the aide had the resident up on her side to provide the incontinence care, the resident reached for something on the bedside table and rolled out of bed. When she did this, she suffered the fractured hip.

Carrying out a care plan is one of the most basic things that must be on a day-to-day, shift-to-shift basis in a nursing home to help assure the safety of the residents there. Failing to carry out the steps which have been identified as necessary to help assure the safety of the resident leaves the resident vulnerable to unnecessary injuries such as from this nursing home fall.

Hip fractures are a serious injury for anyone but especially geriatric patients in a nursing home. Assuming that the resident survives the surgery without any serious intraoperative complications, many residents succumb to complications during the immediate post-operative period, commonly from heart attacks or strokes. Past that there are very residents who make a good recovery where they regain the ability to walk fully, which sets the stage for developing pneumonia, bed sores, and other issues which can result in wrongful death.

This injury was highly preventable – all that had to be done was to follow the steps outlined in the resident’s care plan. However, the staff failed to do so, and the hip fracture was the result. If you have a loved one who has been injured unnecessarily due to a failure to follow a care plan, please contact our experienced Chicago nursing home lawyers to learn more about your rights and what can be done to hold the nursing home accountable.