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Chicago, IL—Nursing homes are relied on for assistance and supervision of aging individuals. People move into nursing homes generally because their physical/mental state interferes with their ability to care for themselves. While many of the individuals who relocate to a nursing home aren’t suffering from any serious medical conditions, there are plenty who are. 

Dementia and diabetes are two of many conditions nursing home residents enter into facilities with that require specific care to be rendered, all of which should be outlined in a resident’s care plan.

What is a care plan?

A care plan is something that is created when an individual arrives at a nursing home. Staff members will collect basic information about them, including their health condition(s), and develop a plan that may include any of the following¹:

• The type of personal or health care services they need.
• The type of equipment or supplies they need and how often they will need to be supplied. Residents who are diabetic will need to have access to blood-sugar machines, insulin, etc.
• The type of diet they are required to follow. This is especially important for diabetic residents as the wrong foods could cause their blood sugar levels to spike to dangerous levels.
• How the care plan with help them reach their goals.
• The types of staff members who should be rendering care/performing services.

Anytime a staff member is assigned to tend to a resident, they should have a firm understanding of the conditions they suffer from as well as the type of care their care plan calls for. Those who are uninformed could make a mistake such as giving a resident the wrong types of foods or too much or too little insulin.

How often should care plans be revisited?

Once a care plan is completed, which is usually within the first 14 days of an individual being admitted, a health assessment should then be completed at least every 90 days, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. If a person’s medical status changes, then a health assessment may be needed before reaching 90 days.

In addition, staffers should also be completing regular assessments of a resident’s condition to determine if their “health status changed” or “changes to [their] care plan are needed.”

What can I do if my loved one’s care plan is being ignored?

Nursing homes have high turn-around rates and are often understaffed. It is for this reason and many others that a resident’s care plan is overlooked or ignored. Despite the challenges nursing home staffers might be facing, they cannot ignore the needs of their residents. And if they do, there could be civil and criminal consequences for them to pay.

If you would like to find out what these are, contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. to speak with an experienced Chicago nursing home abuse attorney.

Illinois Nursing Home Fined After a Resident’s Needs Were Overlooked and Ultimately Led to Him Passing Away

A nursing home in Illinois was fined $25,000 and issued 10 citations for licensure violations after a 62-year-old resident choked to death. The male resident suffered from “anxiety, schizophrenia, and dementia,” and was susceptible to choking. Because of this, the home placed him on a diet that consisted of “regular, thin liquids and cut up meat.”

A dietician later noticed that the male resident would “shove food into his mouth” and they placed him on a feeding plan “that required him to eat meals at a feeder table while under the supervision of nursing staff.” A few months later, dietary notes were added to his care plan that stated he should eat bread that is “quartered and moistened on both sides with butter, gravy, or jelly at every meal.”

Multiple Choking Incidents Recorded

The male resident experienced several choking incidents after the dietary notes were added and several months later, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) noticed the resident was choking and “had turned grayish in color.” The police and emergency medical personnel were called to render CPR, and the man, unfortunately, passed away.

Apparently, the CNA who delivered the food to the resident was unaware the resident had special instructions for how his food should be served. Therefore he/she left the tray with the resident and the bread he was served whole and had not been moistened. Sadly, the resident choked to death.

Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. is Here to Help if Your Loved One’s Care Plan is Being Ignored

If your loved one’s needs are being ignored, this could be identified as a form of neglect. If you would like to find out what your legal options are or how you should address the issue, the Chicago, IL nursing home neglect lawyers at Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. are ready to help.

Because ignoring a care plan could have detrimental effects on a resident, it is important to address the issue as soon as possible. The Chicago, IL nursing home abuse lawyers at Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. understand how frustrating and confusing this time may be for you and we are here to help you in any way possible.

You can contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at:

221 North La Salle Drive, Suite 1100

Chicago, IL 60601

Phone: 1-312-384-1920

Website: www.dinizululawgroup.com

Source:

1. https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/what-part-a-covers/whats-a-care-plan-in-a-nursing-home 

CHICAGO, IL – Commercial trucks on the roadway pose a significant danger to other drivers due to the size, weight, instability, heavy cargo, and tired and distracted drivers.

Commercial Trucks are Deadly

More than 1,100 people died after a collision with commercial trucks in 2019 alone, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Sixty-seven percent of fatalities were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, 16 percent of fatalities were of truck drivers, and 15 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists.

The number of people who died in large truck accidents was 31 percent higher in 2019 compared to a decade prior. Truck occupant fatalities was 51 percent higher than in 2009.

Getting in any type of collision with a semi-trailer can be catastrophic and even deadly. Many people suffer serious injuries after truck crashes that may include:

• Broken bones
• Head injuries
• Back and neck injuries ranging from minor neck pain to severe injuries such as a dislocated disc
• Lacerations
• Internal injuries
• Seat belt injuries
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• And more

Truck Size

On average, semi-trucks measure 72 feet long, 13.5 feet tall, and 8.5 wide; however, the federal government permits trucks as wide as 102 inches on U.S. Interstate systems.

Truck Weight

A fully loaded commercial truck can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. The average passengers car weight? About 4,000 pounds. To put this in perspective, if you were to get hit by a semi-truck, the force of impact would be like getting hit by 20 cars at once.

Truck Instability

Commercial trucks and trailers are top-heavy due to their weight and heavy cargo. Overloaded trucks are prone to rollover and jackknife accidents that are responsible for many deadly crashes on highways and interstates.

Unsecured Cargo

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has guidelines that require commercial trucks operating in interstate commerce to properly store cargo with high-density ropes, tie-downs, steel straps, or metal hooks to prevent cargo from shifting, sliding, tipping, or falling off trucks.

According to FMCSA, nearly 50,000 crashes per year are due to improperly secured cargo.

Distracted Driving

Commercial truck drivers drive long hours on the road and are more than 23 times more likely to engage in distracted driving compared to others drivers. Distractions may include texting or talking on the phone, surfing the internet, watch videos, or changing radio stations.

Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in Chicago, Illinois

The skilled attorneys at the Dinizulu Law Group are here to help you! Navigating the aftermath of a truck accident can be overwhelming and stressful. We offer free consultations to review the facts of your case, and help you determine who you can hold accountable for your injuries. Call our office now to receive a free consultation at (312) 384-1920!

Two individuals employed by an Illinois nursing home are facing criminal charges after a resident was left inside a van on February 2, 2021, “when temperatures dropped well below freezing,” according to NBC Chicago 5. The source says the 96-year-old resident was being transported by bus to a local hospital and upon returning to the home, was left inside the van. 

Apparently, the 63-year-old male driver had indicated on the home’s logbook that he had returned the resident to the facility but instead, accidentally left her on the bus. At around 10 p.m. that same day, the source says the facility’s resident care manager was informed that the “woman was not accounted for” but “made no effort to find her.”

Approximately 12 hours later, at around 10:15 a.m. the next morning, staff began their search for the woman and that is when they found her on the bus. After paramedics arrived, they pronounced her dead due to the drop in temperature that night. According to prosecutors, while the woman was on the bus, temperatures had dropped to about 22 degrees.

Bus Driver and Resident Care Manager Charged Over the Death of Nursing Home Resident

After the incident, prosecutors charged the bus driver with “two felony counts of criminal neglect of a long-term care resident resulting in death.” The resident care manager who allegedly put no effort into finding the woman when she was unaccounted for has been charged with “criminal neglect of a long-term care resident resulting in death and one count of criminal neglect of a long-term care resident.”

Both individuals were arrested and taken into police custody.

Other Ways to Hold Nursing Homes Accountable for Acts of Neglect

In addition to having criminal charges filed against an individual and/or nursing home over neglect, you can also file suit if you are looking to recover damages on behalf of your loved one. To file a civil lawsuit against a nursing home worker and/or against a facility, you will need to gather evidence that supports your reasoning for suing—and the Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers at our firm will help you with this.

In addition to helping you build your case, our skilled nursing home abuse lawyers will also determine what damages your loved one is entitled to collect and value each. For example, if your loved one was neglected and suffered an injury as a result, they may be entitled to collect compensation for the following:

• Pain and suffering. If an act of neglect caused your loved one to suffer physical pain, they may be entitled to compensation for their pain and suffering. The amount an individual can seek for pain and suffering depends on the type and severity of the injury they suffered, as well as the impact it has had on them.
• Mental anguish. If your loved one became depressed or was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being neglected, compensation may be awarded to them for mental anguish.
• Medical expenses. If your loved one needed to have medical care rendered as a result of the injuries they sustained, they may be entitled to recover compensation for the medical costs they incurred. 

In addition to the damages listed above, your loved one might also be entitled to recover punitive damages. While punitive damages serve as a form of financial relief to a victim of nursing home abuse, they also serve as a punishment to the negligent party. The amount a victim recovers in punitive damages, given they are entitled to them, is often determined by the court.

How are nursing home lawsuits settled?

Nursing home lawsuits can be settled in one of two ways.

1. With the help of the court. 

When you file a lawsuit against a nursing home in Illinois, the facility can either respond by paying you the damages you are seeking or challenge your request in court. If the negligent party refuses to accept liability for the injuries your loved one suffered, the case would then go to trial where a judge would make the final ruling on it. The final ruling may or may not end with your loved one being awarded damages. If you choose to hire an attorney, however, you do stand a better chance of obtaining a favorable outcome.

1. Privately between parties. 

If you or the other party are eager to settle the lawsuit before the case goes to trial, you can do so if both parties agree to a settlement. It can sometimes take time for a settlement to be reached, but when you are represented by a Chicago, IL nursing home neglect attorney, they will negotiate with the at-fault party in an effort to come sort of agreement. Should the two of you agree on an amount, the case can then close and there is no need to take it to trial.

Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. is Here to Help You Get Through This Confusing Time

If your loved one was neglected or abused by nursing home staffers, you may be feeling angry and confused and you may not know who to turn to for help or how to recognize the home for their lack of care. Thankfully, you have the nursing home neglect lawyers at Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. who can get you familiarized with what your loved one’s legal rights are as well as the options that are available to you.

To connect with a Chicago nursing home abuse lawyer now to discuss your concerns, contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at 1-312-384-1920.

You can contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at:
221 North La Salle Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 1-312-384-1920
Website: www.dinizululawgroup.com