The Illinois Department of Public Health cited the Clayberg Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cuba, Illinois due to an injurious fall that ended up in a broken arm.
Patient Had a Recognized Fall Risk
The injured resident had a recognized fall risk marked by her history of falling alongside unsteadiness and some weakness in her legs. Specifically, she had been designated to require extensive assistance when doing transfers and using the toilet.
When a nursing home resident has this requirement, a staff member has to physically ‘lay a hand’ on them to assist them with their movements, as opposed to just watching them and letting them move on their own.
In this particular case, the Clayberg resident had an aide that assisted her in showering, bathing, and getting dressed. However, as the aide was picking up towels, the resident was left in a standing position without a gait belt on and without someone physically assisting her as she stood. The resident lost her balance and suffered a fall that resulted in her arm fracture.
Most Nursing Home Falls can Be Prevented
In many cases, nursing home residents require the use of a gait belt, a wide canvas strap that wraps around the midsection of their body and is held by the nursing home aide. This allows the aide to keep the residents upright and help them control their movements. Additionally, if the resident loses their balance, the aide can maneuver the fall to minimize the chances of injury on the resident.
This incident highlights the responsibility of nursing homes and their staff to follow care protocols to the letter. Even just a momentary deviation from gait belt use can lead to painful injuries, especially for older or impaired residents. An incident like this could just as easily result in life-threatening conditions like head trauma or spine injuries.
It also illustrates that many nursing home injuries could be prevented, if only the facility upholds its obligations towards residents. Often, injuries on residents are chalked up as accidents when they are a direct result of the facility’s or their staff member’s failure to do their duty.
Call an Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
One of our core beliefs is that nursing homes are built to fail due to the business model they follow and that unnecessary accidental injuries and wrongful deaths of nursing home residents are the inevitable results. 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.
Click here to file a complaint about a nursing home with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Thank you for reading.
Other blog posts that might be of interest:
Mishandling of resident results in broken shoulder at Havana Health Center
Christian Nursing Home resident suffers severe leg injury in fall
Fondulac Rehab resident suffers fatal injuries in fall
River Bluff resident fractures elbow in fall from a wheelchair
Resident left unsupervised on smoking patio at Sharon Health Care Elms falls and suffers brain bleed
Understaffing at Generations at Rock Island leads to fall and hip fracture
Southpoint Nursing & Rehab resident breaks leg in an improper transfer
