IDPH has cited and fined Big Meadows Nursing Home when the facility failed to supply a knee immobilizer after an injury, going against the doctor’s orders, and then subsequently transferring the resident without the immobilizer. Even worse, despite the resident suffering great pain during the transfers, the facility failed to provide medication to alleviate the pain.
On the day of the incident, video footage showed a Dietary Aide unlocking the resident’s wheelchair and wheeling her out of the dining room. At one point the resident’s foot contacted the floor and went under her seat, causing her discomfort. A Registered Nurse (RN) subsequently requested an X-ray.
The X-ray results revealed that the resident had an acute nondisplaced periprosthetic distal femoral fracture.
The resident’s Physician then ordered a “knee immobilizer (to be worn) at all times until she’s seen by ortho.”
Despite this order from the physician, the facility failed to provide the resident with the immobilizer. They then proceeded to transfer her without the immobilizer, resulting in excruciating pain for the resident.
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) reported that the resident cried out in pain when repositioned and during transfers on two separate days. One CNA even stated that they “talked her into getting up for dinner” despite the resident hollering out in pain during the transfer.
The resident’s family members, including her Daughter-in-Law, a Registered Nurse, and her Daughter, a Physical Therapy Assistant, expressed their concerns to the investigator about the resident being transferred without the immobilizer and while in pain. The Daughter-in-Law stated, “I can’t believe they moved her from the bed to the wheelchair with a fracture and without the immobilizer. They knew she had a new fracture at that point and they moved her anyway.”
To make matters worse, the facility failed to provide pain medication to the resident prior to transferring her out of bed (without the immobilizer). A Registered Nurse acknowledged that the resident should have been given pain medication before the transfer, stating, “In light of everything, in hindsight, she should have been given the oxycodone before the transfer. We do try to premedicate before an uncomfortable event.”
The facility’s Pain Management policy states that it is their policy to “provide skilled assessment and appropriate treatment of the resident experiencing pain” and that “the licensed nurse will administer medications and treatments as prescribed by the physician providing safe and effective pain relief.” However, in the resident’s case, the facility failed to follow this policy, resulting in the resident experiencing unnecessary pain and suffering.
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 result. 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.
