IDPH cited and fined Pekin Manor in Pekin after a resident suffered a head injury in fall from the commode.
The resident at issue was unable to walk independently and was brought to the toilet by an aide. After the resident was place on the toilet, the aide left the room, and at some point thereafter, went on break – leaving the resident sitting on the toilet unattended. The resident activated the call light, but go not response – after all the aide was on break. After 25 minutes of waiting the resident decided to get down from the toilet and crawl to her bed. In so doing, she hit her head on the floor suffering a head injury which required care at the hospital.
One of the staples of just about every care plan for nursing home residents who are at risk for experiencing nursing home falls or who have musculoskeletal issues is encourage use of the call light. The idea is that when the resident asks for help, the staff will provide it. The important thing about it is that use of the call light requires some degree of faith on the part of the resident – a belief that if I hit the call light, someone will come help me.
What happens when there is a breach of that faith on the part of the staff? What does it teach residents when they hit the call light and no one answers? Failing to respond to or acknowledge call lights teaches residents that they are not going to get the help that they need when they hit the call light, and and as a result, residents will either stop using call lights or will give staff less of an opportunity to respond because the belief that help is on its way has already been undermined.
Why do you get poor response times to call lights? Understaffing is a likely culprit, combined with a nursing staff that is struggling just to keep up with the needs of the residents. It is all a part of the nursing home business model. 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 residents are the inevitable result. 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.
Other blog posts of interest:
Fall from edge of bed leads to broken leg at Jerseyville Manor
Failure to obtain treatment supplies at Pekin Manor
Hospitalization from medication error at Fon Du Lac Rahabiliation in East Peoria
Fall from toilet at Leroy Manor
Fractured neck from fall at Manor Court of Peoria
Cornerstone Rehab resident falls from lift, breaks leg
Click here to file a complaint about a nursing home with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
