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How do I report nursing home abuse in Illinois?

December 3, 2019/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – Making the decision to place a loved one in a nursing home facility can be very stressful for the person, as well as the family. You can do all the research for your loved one and where you think may be best suited for their needs. You can even talk to the facility, staff members, and tour the facility to make sure it is their best option.

But even then, the facility may not turn out to be as great as you thought it was. What if you visit your loved one, and notice something may be off? Nursing home abuse is more common than you think, and often is not reported. You may be confused and not know what’s going on, and sometimes your loved one can’t verbalized what they’re experiencing. According to the Nursing Home Abuse Center, these are the steps you should take if you suspect your loved one is being abused:

Evaluate the situation

Before reporting abuse, you should assess why you want to report suspected abuse or neglect. It’s a good idea to write a summary of what has happened so you don’t miss anything when reporting a nursing home facility. Some questions to ask yourself include:

Did my loved one complain about treatment that he or she is receiving in the nursing home? Have other residents voiced similar complaints?
Have I seen signs of abuse and neglect such as bed sores, cuts, or bruises?
Did I personally witness abuse or neglect of my loved one?
Who has inflicted the harm my loved one has suffered?
When did the harm occur?

The more you understand your concerns, the better you will be able to communicate these concerns to authorities. Please assess whether your loved one may be facing immediate harm. If so, you should take steps to immediately remove him or her from the facility.

File a complaint with local Illinois Long-Term Care Ombudsman or Senior Helpline

Once you understand the situation at hand, contact your local Illinois Long-Term Ombudsman Program. This program provides nursing home residents with their own advocates that will help them with any complaints they may have, as well as enhance their overall quality of life. This program is normally free of charge. The Ombudsmen are able to:

Listen to the concerns of the patient and their family members
Inform residents of their rights and possible legal action
Provide information on different nursing home options
Work with the current nursing home staff to make changes
Get law enforcement involved, if necessary.

You can find contact information for your local Ombudsman by visiting the Department of Aging website, or by calling the toll-free number (866) 800-1409 or (888) 206-1327 (TTY).

The Ombudsman may attempt to work directly with the nursing home facility to address the issue raised by your complaint. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, the Ombudsman will assist you in a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

You can also report suspected abuse or neglect by contacting the Senior HelpLine. The Senior HelpLine is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can call their toll-free number at (800) 252-8966 or (888) 206-1327 (TTY) or by e-mail at aging.ilsenior@illinois.gov.

File a complaint with IDPH

The next step is to file a complaint with the IDPH. You can download the IDPH Complaint Form and send it to IDPH by fax or mail, or you can use the form to guide you if you’d like to report by phone.

Be prepared to answer the following questions:

Who was the resident that was abused or neglected? Be prepared to give the name and age of your loved one. Please provide the names of staff members or administrators you believe to be involved.
What happened to the nursing home resident? Be prepared to describe specific acts of abuse or neglect that you believe to have occurred. For example, was your loved one assaulted by a staff member? Are staff members administering medications without authorization? Have you found bedsores on your loved one from nursing home staff failing to re-position them?
When did the abuse or neglect occur? Provide specific dates or time periods in which the abuse or neglect occurred.
Where is the facility located? You will need to provide the name of the nursing home and where the facility is located. You can verify this information by visiting the IDPH’s nursing home directory. Please provide the room number and floor number the mistreatment occurred on.
How was the resident harmed or potentially harmed? Keeping a journal to note the harm your loved one has endured is important so you are able to relay this information to IDPH and potentially the authorities. Being able to describe specific instances of harm your loved one has experienced is critical.

You can contact IDPH at:

Phone: (800) 252-4343 or (800) 547-0466 (TTY)
The hotline is open from Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fax: (217) 525-8885

Mail: Illinois Department of Public Health
Office of Health Care Regulation
525 W. Jefferson Street, Ground Floor
Springfield, IL 62761-0001

If you would prefer to stay anonymous, you can do so; however, if you would like to receive a written confirmation that your complaint has been received and to be informed of the results of IDPH’s investigation, you must give your name, address, and phone number. IDPH will not reveal your identity as the one who filed the complaint unless:

You give written permission.
Your identity is essential to the investigation.
A court case is filed by IDPH against the nursing home.

It’s important to know the facility cannot retaliate against your loved one which includes harassment, discharge or transferring the resident, simply because you filed a complaint. The IDPH is legally obligated to investigate your complaint. If you report abuse or neglect, IDPH must complete an investigation within seven days. All other investigations must be completed within 30 days.

Keep an eye out

Although you reported abuse or neglect, it’s important to still keep an eye out for your loved one until the issue is resolved. Whenever your visit your loved one, make sure to take a look around and check for anything that may be out of order. It’s also important to make sure your loved one is happy and healthy. If you ever find yourself suspecting abuse occurring in your loved ones facility, report it immediately. Time is crucial, especially in a circumstance like this.

Contact a lawyer

It’s important to contact an experienced and knowledgeable nursing home abuse lawyer to ensure your loved ones rights are fully protected. A lawyer can serve as a liaison between your family, the nursing home, and IDPH during the investigation, or can conduct an independent investigation.

A lawyer will help your assess your options for seeking relief through a lawsuit which can include compensation for any physical, emotional, or financial harm your loved one has endured.

To schedule a free, no obligation consultation, you can contact our office at (312) 384-1920 or (800) 693-1LAW (toll-free). Please visit our website for any additional information including verdicts and settlements.

Chicago Nursing Home Facing Allegations of Nursing Home Neglect

June 6, 2019/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – Mayfield Care Center, a nursing home in Chicago, is facing allegations of nursing home neglect. Due to a staff shortage, residents have been left neglected and been living in poor living conditions.

According to CBS, Stan McKinney and his sister Geraldine believe Mayfield Care Center contributed to the death of their mother, Dorothy. This isn’t the first time Mayfield Care Center has been put into question. Stan McKinney recalled the times he would visit his mother and stated, “It was just the smell of death. It was gross neglect. I’ve gone when she was just on a mattress. There was no linen.”

Geraldine McKinney witnessed on multiple different occasions her mother being nude walking around on the floor she resided on. The McKinney’s wrote letters to Mayfield’s managers detailing what they witnessed and the neglect their mother was receiving. Dorothy McKinney passed away in 2017 from a staph infection after being neglected and suffering from severe bed sores.

Staff shortage has caused employees to be responsible for 40 residents, sometimes up to 70 leading to residents receiving improper care and neglect.

Mayfield Care Center has been sued nearly 50 times with most cases ending in settlements. According to the Illinois Department of Professional Regulations, Mayfield has been cited for insufficient nursing staff and has been investigated for several complaints but cited for none.

Studies conducted by the National Council on Aging estimate every 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse. There is 1-2 million cases of elder abuse per year; only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.

Elder abuse includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, neglect and abandonment. The National Council of Aging (2018) suggested the most common warning signs of elder abuse, (but are not limited to):

Physical abuse: bruises, broken bones, abrasions, burns
Emotional abuse: unusual depression, strained relationships, withdrawal from normal activity, sudden change in alertness
Financial abuse and exploitation: sudden changes in financial situation
Neglect: bedsores, weight loss, poor hygiene, unattended medical needs
Verbal abuse: threats, use of power to control individuals

If you suspect a loved one is suffering from elder abuse in a nursing home or other long-term care facility, please contact Dinizulu Law Group immediately. We take allegations very seriously, and will work diligently until your case is resolved and your loved one is out of harm’s way. Please call us at (312) 384-1920 or visit our website for more information.

How is Your Loved One’s Health Monitored in a Nursing Home?

May 25, 2018/in Blog, nursing home neglect/by Yao Dinizulu

When you place your elderly loved one in a nursing home, chances are they have medical conditions that need to be consistently monitored. How does a nursing home watch over your loved one? From managing medications and diet to monitoring new health challenges, how are these needs met? Watch the video to learn more.

A nursing home supports an infrastructure of medical professionals, ranging from dieticians, therapists, and nurses and doctors. Together, they manage and administer your loved one’s diet, medicine, and the needed medical tests. Whether a patient has hypothyroidism, anemia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or other serious medical conditions, the nursing home must facilitate the management of the medical care of your loved one. If they took your mom as their resident, they are asserting that they can manage the care appropriately for your loved one.

This only works if each member of the nursing home staff communicates with each other. For example, if the nurse does an assessment of a nursing resident, and observes a change in status, while often times she must not act alone, she must communicate this to the applicable doctor, dietician or specialized provider. The nurses are the eyes and ears of the doctors and the medical facility like a nursing home.

All this information is communicated across various levels of staff and different departments of the nursing home through verbal orders and patient charts. To effectively care for all their residents, a nursing home must have policies in place that require detailed documentation and clear channels of communication along with the appropriate guidelines for managing that care.

As a nursing home neglect attorney, I cannot tell you how many lives are lost due to these communication mistakes. If the nurse is overworked or overwhelmed like many are due to working in understaffed nursing homes, chances are he or she may forget to appropriately communicate to all of the providers. In such a case, the resident’s condition would go on untreated. For our elderly loved ones, this is a recipe for disaster. Nursing homes often make a deliberate choice to underhire staff to save expenses.

But you should know that if you or your loved one has been hurt due to a untreated condition, there are options for you. The Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. has helped many people get justice when they are harmed in a nursing home that cuts corners. With over 50 years in combined experience and verdicts and settlements reaching millions, our nursing home neglect lawyers are here to fight for you. Call us at 1 (312) 384-1920 or 1 (800) 693-1LAW, or reach us by email.

You can also find more informational videos regarding nursing home neglect and injury matters from our nursing home abuse attorneys on our media page.

Aging Pastor Neglected by His Nursing Home Caregivers

December 22, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect, Uncategorized/by Yao Dinizulu

Robert, an aging pastor, who lived a life of service and put others first, was neglected by his care providers in an Illinois nursing home.

Robert was admitted into a nursing home with severe illnesses that required 24-hour care. Robert suffered from Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and dysphasia, among other medical conditions. Dysphasia causes one to have trouble swallowing food and therefore, the person must be monitored closely to ensure proper digestion. Failure to monitor this food intake can cause the person to choke or aspirate, meaning the food gets stuck in the throat or lung. Because of these risks, Robert should never be allowed to eat alone. What did the nursing home do to monitor these health concerns? Watch the video to learn more.

Just a few weeks after being admitted, a care giver at the nursing home noticed Robert was eating poorly and pocketing food. This is critical because since Robert was pocketing food, he could later eat that food while he wasn’t being watched and could suffocate as a result. The caregiver did absolutely nothing after noticing that Robert was pocketing food, like alerting the doctor or the head nurse.

After a few days, Robert was found to be lethargic with concealed food on him. He developed a cough and congestion, had labored breathing, and a fever. These symptoms worsened.

Finally, the nursing home sent Robert to a hospital. Only after going to the hospital was Robert diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. You see, Robert had likely ingested the pocketed food that became lodged in his lung, causing the aspiration pneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia happens when substances, such as gastric contents, are inhaled into the lungs. This also creates a bacterial infection in the lung, leading to aspiration pneumonia.

Robert was a total-assist resident, meaning he needed to be fed, clothed, and changed. The nursing home ignored these responsibilities even though they fully understood Robert’s physical and mental limitations when they agreed to admit him into their facility.

Robert’s wife Michelle contacted the administrators at this nursing home to get them to properly care for Robert. They all made promises, yet the same pattern of unreasonable care continued.

I want all families like Michelle’s and all nursing home residents to know that nursing homes are accountable for the promises they make to you. There are remedies when nursing homes do wrong and cause you harm.

I know you may be watching this video because you probably have questions about your own loved one in a nursing home. Contact the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. We answer questions like yours every day.

Protect Loved Ones from Nursing Home Neglect

September 11, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect/by Yao Dinizulu

Recognize Dehydration

Dehydration is a serious, potentially fatal risk that is faced by elderly residents of nursing facilities. In a recent study, 31% of residents in nursing homes who were examined were found to be dehydrated. This can be caused by medications and certain conditions such as diabetes, but is also a result of changes in the body that occur as people age. Luckily the early stages of dehydration are easy to treat, and by being aware of the symptoms dangerous medical problems can be avoided.

Mild to Moderate Dehydration

The symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration tend to be fairly innocuous individually, so it is important to take note if you notice several of them occurring at once. Loved ones may seem sleepy or irritable, complain of headaches, dizziness or cramping in their arms and legs. More specific symptoms are a dry, sticky feeling in the mouth and dry skin. Most importantly, as a person becomes dehydrated, his or her need to urinate disappears as the body tries to conserve liquids. If someone cannot remember the last time he or she urinated, chances are it was too long ago and more fluids are required. When a person who is dehydrated does pass urine, it will be of a dark color – the darker the color typically the more dehydrated the person is.

Severe Dehydration

As a person becomes progressively more dehydrated, additional symptoms begin to appear. The mucous membranes dry out and the patient begins to develop sunken eyes. Skin will also begin to lose its elasticity. In the last stages the patient can develop low blood pressure, fever, and a rapid heartbeat and breathing difficulties. Serious, potentially fatal complications can occur from long-term or severe dehydration, including heat exhaustion or heatstroke, cerebral edema (swelling of the brain), seizures, kidney failure and comas.

Severe dehydration is an emergency. It is potentially lethal and requires immediate medical attention, especially in elderly and pediatric patients. If you suspect that you or a loved one is showing symptoms of severe dehydration, contact a medical professional as soon as possible.

Illinois Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Attorneys

If you or your loved one has suffered from dehydration while in a nursing home, you or your loved one could be entitled to recover monetary compensation for your expenses, injuries, and suffering. The experienced and compassionate attorneys at the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. will work with you to determine the best way to handle your nursing home abuse or neglect claim. Email us or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW to set up a free consultation with one of our experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys in Chicago.