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How to Find a Quality Nursing Home During a Pandemic

June 11, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – The novel coronavirus is uprooting many areas of life for people across the world. For families that considering nursing home care for their loved one, it’s causing people to rethink such a move. Nursing homes have been the epicenter of coronavirus outbreaks, which certainly can lead to concern; however, this doesn’t mean you should stop looking into nursing homes.

While COVID-19 is certainly a risk factor that one should consider, families should also consider nursing home abuse and illness outbreaks happen daily in nursing home settings. No matter what the concerns are, there are some things that families can do to research and find a quality nursing home facility for their loved one – even during a pandemic.

Determine a Budget

One of the first steps while choosing a nursing home is determining what your family can afford. First, start by determining how much care your loved one needs. Does he or she require daily medical care and supervision? Does he or she need limited care, such as assistance with meals or medication reminders? These are things that will factor into the cost.

Determining the amount of care your loved one needs will help determine if you need assisted living or nursing home care. This will also help you narrow down your budget which will narrow down your field of choices.

Nursing homes can be more expensive because they require more specialized staff, nursing staff, and medical care. Nursing homes tend to have much stricter regulations, such as regulations for staffing, services, and food safety. On the other hand, assisted living facilities have less restricted regulations because there is less involvement in the daily needs of their residents.

Use Online Resources for Your Search

There are several legitimate online resources and tools you can use to help identify and review nursing homes you may be considering. If you are considering a facility that accepts Medicaid or Medicare, the best place to start your search is utilizing Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare tool. This tool is excellent to use because they have data on staffing, data on incidents, and can tell you the number of residents that have suffered from bedsores.

You can also find information through your state’s long-term care Ombudsman office. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program offers important information about nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Visit the Facility

Before deciding on a nursing home, it’s important to visit the facility first. Don’t just settle for an informal meeting with the administrator – talk to the staff members who will potentially be caring for your loved one. Ask to meet with the nursing director and nursing assistants (CNAs). These are the people who will be interacting and caring for your loved one the most. It’s important to take note of what they’re saying and what their attitudes are like. Do they have a mean demeanor? Do they seem to enjoy their work? Do they seem tired or overwhelmed? Notice how they come across now and imagine how they will respond to your loved ones needs during a difficult shift.

Do More than a Guided Tour

Most nursing homes offer a guided tour of the facility and show where your loved one will be sleeping, the activity area, and the dining room. This is a great way to see an overview of the facility and what they have to offer, but this should not be the only way to assess the facility. When visiting, be mindful of a few things:

Residents – Do residents seem to be well-groomed? Do they seem to be happy? Are they actively moving around?
Food Service – Take note of what meals look like and how residents are reacting. Do they seem to enjoy it? Are residents complaining about the food quality?
Smells – Do you notice a smell or urine or strong cleaning products?
Sounds – Does it sound pleasant? Is there music playing? Do you hear upset residents that are crying or grumbling?

When visiting a nursing home, these are important factors to consider. If anything seems off to you, it’s likely a sign that this isn’t the best nursing home suited for your loved one.

Discuss Important Issues Before Signing Paperwork

Once you’ve narrowed down your list on possible nursing homes, it’s important to discuss certain issues before you sign any paperwork. It’s important to discuss your loved ones medical records since you can’t assume you will have access to their medical records once they are living at the facility. Ask the facility what they require to make sure you have all relevant medical information to help make medical decisions.

You should also discuss the plan for your loved one’s care. Ask the nursing home facility how they establish a care plan for residents. Most facilities will have a meeting with nursing staff to discuss the resident’s needs where families should be present.

Do You Have Concerns about Your Loved Ones Care in a Nursing Home?

If you have questions or concerns about the care your loved one is receiving in a nursing home, contact the attorneys at the Dinizulu Law Group. We help families understand their legal rights and options to ensure their loved ones are safe. To request a free consultation, please call (312) 384-1920 or visit our website for more information.

DLG Has Taken Action to Continue Serving Clients & Welcoming New Staff

April 28, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

During this unprecedented time and dynamic nature of COVID-19, the Dinizulu Law Group would like to let our clients, colleagues, and friends know what steps we have taken to ensure we remain available to you during this uncertain time. It is our goal to continue to serve clients’ needs, while at the same protecting our employees. We have taken precautionary measures and will be working remotely with a plan in place to serve our clients in the weeks to come.

As we monitor and follow the recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and state authorities, we are continuing our operations remotely. Luckily, we have all of the technology we need to serve clients and are ensuring we do so successfully. You are still able to call or email your attorney as you normally would with any questions or concerns.

To shed some light on a dark time, we have recently decided to expand our firm and would like to welcome Brian Orozco and Layinka Bell to the Dinizulu Law Group staff.

Brian will serve as an associate attorney focusing on litigating. Brian is a California native who graduated with a B.A. from the University of San Diego (2008), prior to earning his J.D. from DePaul University (2012). Brian’s true passion lies in ensuring the safety and dignity of the less vulnerable in our community. Brian is dedicated to representing injured individuals in wrongful death, police brutality, nursing home abuse, and other serious injury cases. Brian previously worked at a plaintiff’s civil rights firm where he litigated excessive force, police shootings, and wrongful death caused by police departments, jails, and prison, in both federal and state court. Brian is fluent in Spanish and we look forward to expanding our clientele.

Layinka joins our firm as a paralegal and project management, advocating for Chicago communities of color that are historically underserved and unrepresented. Layinka was born and raised in Chicago and received her degree from DePaul University in Multi-Minority Social Justice and her Master’s from DePaul in Jurisprudence. Layinka brings twenty-six years of experience as a senior trial and litigation paralegal specializing in project management and organization of law firms. She began her legal career managing and monitoring tort claims for a general counsel of a large Chicago based corporation before transitioning into various large and small firms where she focused on trial management and readiness.

Our team is dedicated in a precedented way to ensure that client services are still offered during the COVID-19 crisis. As we learn more, we will let you know when we resume to normal operations. Courts in Illinois have been postponed until further notice. This may slow down the progression of some cases, but we are working diligently working on cases so they are ready to go when the deadline resumes. We are still in contact with defense attorneys and insurance companies to resolve your case. If you have any questions and need to contact us, please do not hesitate to contact us. We thank you for your trust and patience during this time. Most importantly, be safe and stay healthy!

Coronavirus Outbreak in Illinois Nursing Home Facility

March 24, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – Officials of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have reported at least 46 people, including residents and staff members, have tested positive for coronavirus at a DuPage county nursing home. This outbreak is the first in a long-term care facility in Illinois. Chicago’s WGN9 reported the first confirmed test of a Willowbrook resident by state health officials.

Within a matter of days, the virus spread to other members at Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center of Willowbrook, a southwestern suburb of Chicago. Forty-six people, thirty-three residents and 13 staff members – have all tested positive for the virus. Other residents are now isolated in another area of the facility as officials expect additional positive tests to come back within the near future.

Mayor Frank Trilla, said, “this could have happened anywhere.”

There haven’t been any unusual incidents at this nursing home before the outbreak, though the mayor noted that nursing homes are regulated by the state and not local government.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established a new set of rules for nursing home facilities beginning on March 13. The critical new measures were designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The new set of rules directs facilities to to significantly restrict visitors and nonessential personnel, as well as restrict communal activities inside nursing homes, with exceptions for compassionate care, such as an end-of-life situation. All group activities and communal dining are canceled and be implementing active screening of residents and health care personnel for fever and respiratory symptoms. The only exception is for certain care situations, such as end-of-life situations. The new measures are CMS’s latest action to protect America’s seniors, who are especially vulnerable to contracting COVID-19.

The First Outbreak at a Nursing Home Facility

According to the CDC, seniors with multiple health conditions are at the highest risk for complications. There have been reports of large numbers of cases spreading rapidly through nursing homes, such as the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington. The New York Times reported two thirds of residents, 55 employees, and 14 visitors have tested positive for COVID-19. Thirty five people have died, claiming 12 percent of staff and residents lives. These death totals make up nearly half of the coronavirus death toll in Washington. These numbers are expected to increase as tests become more available.

The Life Care Center stated, “Current residents and associates are being monitored closely, specifically for an elevated temperature, cough and/or shortness of breath.”

It’s not clear how the virus reached the facility; however, according to the New York Times the first reported case of coronavirus in the United States was from a man in nearby Snohomish County.

Officials of the Life Care Center, which operates more than 200 facilities in 28 states, are monitoring residents and workers closely.

The Outbreak Continues to Spread

Other than the outbreak in Kirkland, at least 15 others have died and dozens more have been infected at long-term care facilities across the nation. Major outbreaks include Willowbrook, Illinois with 46 infections, four deaths in at least two facilities in New Jersey, 13 infected in Little Rock Arkansas, and 11 infected in Troy, Ohio, with at least 30 more showing symptoms.

“Nursing homes would always have been ground zero, but given we already have a huge staff shortage, this will be magnified,” said, David Grabowski, a Harvard Medical School professor who has studied staffing storages in nursing homes. “It could be worse for today’s nursing home facilities than ever.”

The spread of COVID-19 in a nursing home can amplify when patients are transferred and when staff and visitors come and go. The CDC has said visitors and healthcare personnel are the most likely sources of introduction into long-term care facilities. In a recent report by CDC, the agency went on to say, “Limitations in effective infection control and prevention and staff members working in multiple facilities,” can contribute to an outbreak.

How to Keep Residents Safe

The CDC has made additional recommendations for nursing homes as they work to keep residents safe, including:

Nursing homes should put alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60-95 percent alcohol in every resident room – both inside and outside the room if possible – and in every common area
Sinks should be well-stocked with soap and paper towels for hand washing
Tissues and facemasks must be available for people who are coughing
Hospital grade disinfectants must be available to allow for frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces and shared resident equipment

More information on a full list of CDC’s guidance for nursing homes safety can be found here.

Counties in Illinois with Confirmed COVID-19 Cases:

Adams
Christian
Champaign
Clinton
Cook
Cumberland
DeKalb
DuPage
Kane
Kankakee
Kendall
Lake
LaSalle
Madison
McHenry
McLean
Peoria
Sangamon
St. Clair
Washington
Whiteside
Will
Williamson
Winnebago
Woodford

Any nursing home with residents suspected of having COVID-19 should contact their local health department immediately. To remain updated on long-term care and nursing home updates, please visit the CMS website.

Negligence Related to Coronavirus

If a loved one has sustained a serious infectious disease complication or missed a medical treatment provided by a nursing home or the understaffing in facility, we can help you. Please reach out to Dinizulu Law Group, a Chicago-based law firm with extensive experience in nursing home negligence. For a free consultation, please call (312) 384-1920.