Two broken limbs at the Shady Oaks West nursing home in Lockport, Illinois clearly illustrate the dangers that improperly trained staff impose on nursing home residents.
The first incident occurred on August 18th of last year. A resident was diagnosed with a fracture of the right leg after being dressed by one of the staff members there. According to the investigation, the resident has severe mental retardation and is unable to put on or remove any articles of clothing. The Shady Oaks West staff member was putting on the resident’s sweat pants when he heard something in the resident’s ankle “click.” A X-ray taken at the hospital revealed a fracture.
The second took place on November 11th, just a few months later. Another resident suffered a break in the lower leg. This resident was also diagnosed with profound mental retardation. This second incident also took place while the resident was being dressed by the very same staff member.
A subsequent investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) revealed that there had been no additional training for any of the Shady Oaks West staff after the initial incident, including the staff member who caused the broken leg.
Incidents like these really illustrate how carefully nursing homes need to train their employees who tend to nursing home residents. The staff member involved almost certainly had no intention of harming either one of these residents. But by not providing proper training, especially after the first incident, the nursing home allowed both of these incidents to happen.
If you have a loved one who has been injured in an Illinois nursing home, contact our Chicago nursing home lawyers for a free and confidential evaluation of your case. At the Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle we never charge any fee unless we win a recovery for you.