IDPH has cited and fined Hickory Point Christian Village in Forsyth after a resident there suffered a fractured arm and fractured hip in a fall.
The resident at issue had a history of repeated falls, including two falls within a 24 hour period, the last of which resulted in a fractured right hip which brought about the admission to the nursing home. On admission the resident was noted to have strength and mobility deficits and suffered from dementia and confusion. Having a history of falls is a significant fall risk factor, as are strength and mobility deficits and dementia/confusion.
On the day of this nursing home fall, the resident was brought to the bathroom by an aide. The aide did not consult the Kardex for the resident and was unaware of the resident’s history of falls and fall risk status. He requested some privacy so she closed the door to leave him in the bathroom. When he was done, she realized that she did not have supplies for cleaning him up, so she left him unattended in the bathroom while she went to get them. While she was gone, the resident got up from the toilet and fell, suffering fractures to the left arm and left hip.
This was a fall that likely would have been avoided had the aide checked the Kardex for the resident’s fall risk status and/or had the aide brought the necessary supplies to clean up after the resident. Neither of these things occurred, and as a result, a very preventable fall occurred.
Given that this resident had a fracture to the right hip from which he was recovering, an additional fracture to the left hip will make recovery from the two injuries much more difficult. These fractures were compounded by the fact that the resident suffered a fracture of the left arm as well, which would complicate any effort to have the resident engage in any form weight bearing using a walker or in the parallel bars in physical therapy. If the resident does not regain his ability to walk, this has serious negative consequences for his quality of life as well as his risk of developing additional complications such as bed sores.
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. 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:
Charleston Rehab resident suffers brain bleed and fractured hip in fall from bed
Cumberland Rehab resident suffers brain bleed due to fall from toilet
Hilltop Skilled resident breaks leg in fall from bed
Piatt County Nursing Home resident fractures hip in fall
Heritage Health Pana staff violates care plan leading to fall and fractured hip
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