Nursing home neglect | Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd

Posts

What Types of Evidence Is Used for Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Cases?

September 29, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – More than 1.2 million people are living in nursing homes across the United States. Residents may live in a nursing home facility because they need help with daily tasks such as eating and bathing or may have long-term medical needs that families and other means cannot provide their loved one with. Many nursing home residents suffer from mental or physical disabilities that reduce their level of independence; therefore, nursing home staff must keep them as healthy and safe as possible.

Unfortunately, some nursing home residents are not treated with compassion and the competent medical attention they deserve. If you or your loved one has been a victim of abuse or neglect, you may want to bring a personal injury claim against the facilities and those who harmed you or a loved one. In order for your claim to be successful, you must show evidence of the nursing homes wrongdoing.

Elements of a Nursing Home Claim

To hold a negligent nursing home accountable and recover financial compensation for the abuse and/or neglect, you and your personal injury attorney will need to prove that:

The nursing home owed a duty to you or your loved one
The nursing home breached that duty
You or your loved one was injured as a result
The injuries resulted in damaged and/or financial costs

It can be hard to know exactly how a nursing home resident was injures – especially for those who suffer from a mental disability such as dementia or Alzheimer’s which affects their memory and cognition. To fully understand the circumstances, your personal injury attorney may gather evidence such as:

Care logs
Medical records and bills
Operating procedures, hiring practices, and staff training schedule
Surveillance footage
Photographs
Insurance claim documents
Testimony from witnesses
Testimony from “expert witnesses” such as medical professionals

Contact a Cook County Nursing Home Abuse Injury Attorney

Nursing homes have both an ethical and legal obligation to provide residents with the adequate everyday care and medical attention they need; however, sometimes they fall short. If a nursing home caused a resident to be injured due to their negligence or being intentionally abusive, the injured person may file a personal injury claim. To learn more about bringing a nursing home injury lawsuit against a negligent facility, contact the Dinizulu Law Group at (312) 384-1920 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney. Visit our website for more information.

Nursing Homes & Their Response to Residents with Dementia

September 2, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – Close to two-thirds of all US nursing home residents have some type of cognitive impairment, such as dementia, and the quality of care and quality of life of these people have been long called into question. Dementia denial from caregivers is real and dangerous, especially in a nursing home setting. Dementia diagnoses can also be missed when staff members are overworked, and poorly resourced care teams do not receive adequate training to evaluate struggling residents that may require extra supervision and management of medications, daily activities, and financial needs.

Signs of Dementia

It is important to know the signs of dementia to know when a resident should be moved from a nursing facility to move to a 24-hour assisted specialized living environment to keep them safe.

Early Stage Memory Loss

One of the most common and prominent signs of dementia, especially in early stages, is forgetting information such as important dates or events, and asking the same questions repeatedly. Those who are in the early stage tend to have an increasingly need to rely on others to recall facts, people, or routines.

Inability to Concentrate and Conversate

Some people who suffer from dementia may experience changes in their ability to concentrate and follow a plan or conversation. They may have trouble keeping up with the conversation or become confused. They may also begin to struggle with naming familiar objects, such as calling a “bed” a “table.”

Falls Occur

Those with dementia have an increased likelihood of increased falls and hip fractures. Falls can happen when staff are not following protocol, such as needing two people present to move a resident from their wheelchair to bed. Severe bone fractures and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are both common fall injuries that can lead to a decline in a person’s health.

Wandering and Elopement

Six out of 10 people who suffer from dementia will wander and aimlessly attempt to move around the facility without regard for their personal safety. The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP) have identified different types of wandering; such as, environmentally cued wandering, recreational wandering, agitated purposeful wandering, fantasy or reminiscent wandering, and elopement. According to NCCDP, elopement is the most dangerous type of wandering and occurs when a patient attempts to leave the nursing home altogether and wander outside.

Growing Difficulty with Simple Tasks

As dementia progresses, the ability to perform daily tasks such as bathing, eating, getting dressed, and socializing decreases.

General Confusion Over Visits and Appointments

As stated early, those who suffer from dementia begin to lose track of important dates and events, like holidays, or forget a family member is coming to visit. They begin to start struggling to understand where they are, why they are there, and how they got there.

Misplacing Items

Your loved one may begin to lose items or put them in an unusual place. They likely will not be able to retrace their steps as their memory decreases. They may also accuse others of stealing or misplace important personal items, especially as the disease progresses.

Changes in Mood, Personality, and Sound Judgement

Individuals may experience difficult changes in judgement and decision making. Mood and personality changes can happen to someone with dementia and early-stage Alzheimer’s. Individual’s become easily confused, fearful, suspicious, anxious, or depressed.

Nursing Homes Response to Residents with Dementia

In a recent study published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s are at a greater risk of experiencing abuse. Abuse can exist in many forms such as caregiver neglect, psychological abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, abandonment, self-neglect, sexual abuse, and financial exploitation.

The most common facilitators were the introduction of policies and programs in the facility, education, and working conditions. The most cited barriers were poor training, working conditions in a long-term care setting, and a lack of research. The growing population could increase this problem exponentially, researchers stated.

Current abuse continues because of detection and prevention issues; however, another issue is that 80 percent of elder abuse goes unreported.

How to Prevent Abuse

The best way to prevent and abuse is to keep yourself educated of the sign and symptoms so you know what to look for, and attentively listen to residents, especially those who are most vulnerable that suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s. By creating a culture in which nursing home staff members report all suspected abuse, organizations are able to increase their chances of identifying and rectifying abuse behaviors quickly.

Facilities need to offer training and better screening processes for employees to identify and recognize resident issues. They must also diligently hire staff who are fit to care for older adults and train staff to recognize and report suspected abuse. Dementia professionals must also be educated and on high-alert to the risks associated with dementia-ridden residents and their likelihood of being exposed to abuse and neglect.

Contact an Experienced Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

It can be difficult and traumatic to discover that you or a loved one is suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s and are unsure about your future. If you suspect your loved one is being neglected or abused due to suffering from a cognitive impairment, the Dinizulu Law Group will help you understand common situations and signs that something is wrong.

The Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. has extensive knowledge and resources in this area of the law and provide highly personalized service by working closely with clients throughout every step of the process. Our attorneys have represented hundreds of individuals and families in making claims against abusive nursing home facilities and have helped them receive the compensation they deserve. Please call our office to schedule a free consultation at (312) 384-1920 or visit our website for more information.

Sepsis Complications: How Nursing Homes Should Prevent & Treat

July 15, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – Infections are one of the leading causes of death in nursing homes throughout the country. Unfortunately, nursing homes can be inattentive to the conditions that give rise to infections and then leave the infections untreated, putting nursing home residents at risk.

An infection that is left untreated can turn into a very dangerous condition called sepsis. When someone develops septic shock, this is how an infection can kill. Sepsis happens when an infection you already have – in your skin, lungs, urinary tract, or somewhere else – triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. A toxic agent is introduced into the bloodstream because of the infection and will begin to result in organ failure. If you do not seek medical treatment in a timely manner, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.

There are numerous symptoms that may occur, with some of the more severe ones including:

Abnormal heart function including a very rapid heart rate
Significant pain and discomfort
Difficulty breathing
Disorientation or delirium
Unconsciousness

The Stages of Sepsis

Stage One: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)

Sepsis can be difficult to identify but is typically denoted by a very high or low body temperature, high heart rate, high respiratory rate, high or low white blood cell count and a known or suspected infection. For sepsis, two of the mentioned SIR signs, as well as an infection, must be present.

Stage Two: Severe Sepsis

Severe sepsis is diagnosed when acute organ dysfunction begins. Severe sepsis can be diagnosed when sepsis is present along with hypotension, or low blood pressure, or hypoperfusion, the decreased blood flow through an organ.

Organ dysfunction can be characterized by symptoms such as a sudden change in mental state, decreased urine output, decreased blood platelet count, difficulty breathing, abnormal heart pumping function and abdominal pain.

Stage Three: Septic Shock

Septic shock is the most severe stage of sepsis. Septic shock is defined as the presence of hypotension, induced by sepsis, despite fluid resuscitation. Septic shock has the highest chance of mortality, with estimates that range from 30% to 50%.

Symptoms of Septic Shock

Septic shock is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Little to no urination
Blood clots throughout the body that can lead to organ failure
Very low or high temperature
Extremely low blood pressure
Palpitations

Even if the nursing home resident is about to survive septic shock, it will have long-term ramifications on their health and they likely will not make a full recovery.

Early detection of sepsis is necessary in order for a nursing home resident to have a better chance at survival; however, when a resident is a victim of nursing home neglect, they likely are not receiving the care that they need to notice the signs of sepsis and begin prompt treatment. This becomes more of a problem at understaffed nursing homes that are prone to neglect.

Medical Treatment for Patients with Sepsis

When a nursing home does diagnose and treat sepsis, the course of treatment begins with antibiotics. Some patients may need to have procedures to remove dead skin or tissue depending on the severity of the infection. Patients may also need oxygen or other intravenous fluids to maintain the level of oxygen and blood going to the organ so organ failure can be prevented. Patients can recover from mild sepsis in about three to ten days; however, more severe cases can take longer to recover if the patient is able to survive at all. Severe sepsis requires critical care for a month or more.

Sepsis and Pressure Ulcers

Sepsis is also how pressure ulcers can become fatal. There are four stages of a pressure ulcer: Stage I and II is the first discoloration of the skin and a small ulcer. Stage III is when a small crater in the skin begins to degenerate to a Stage IV pressure ulcer where the hole in the skin gets deeper and can reach the muscle. When the hole in the skin becomes large enough and is untreated, the resident can develop sepsis from the infection. A pressure ulcer can become septic, though the ones that are more advanced have a higher change of becoming infected. The wounds can leak puss and give off a foul smell. There can also be an increased in pain in the area and a fever.

Pressure ulcers should not form in the first place, but if they do, they should not reach the level of sepsis. If your loved one has developed sepsis, there is a high chance that the nursing home did not provide the level of care that it was legally obligated to, causing your family member to develop a life-threatening infection.

Nearly 25,000 residents in nursing homes will die from sepsis, and most of these deaths are preventable. Thousands of nursing homes each year are cited by the federal government for their failure to prevent and treat pressure ulcers.

Has Your Loved One Been Injured by a Nursing Home’s Failure to Treat an Infection? Get Legal Help Now

The experienced attorneys at the Dinizulu Law Group have handled numerous cases over the years where nursing home residents have died from infected pressure ulcers and other severe infections due to nursing home negligence. If your loved one has been injured or died from neglect at a nursing home, call us today at (312) 384-1920 to set up your free consultation. Please visit our website for additional information.

Effects of Understaffing in Nursing Homes

May 19, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

Nursing home facilities across the nation are facing an understaffing crisis. Research has shown nearly 95 percent of nursing facilities in the United States are understaffed. Understaffing can lead to serious injuries, or in some cases death among residents. Some states, such as New York, don’t have a legal mandate on the ratio of nursing home staff to senior residents, which means problems can often go unnoticed.

Understanding the Issue of Understaffing
Understaffing in nursing homes is a serious, prevalent problem that often goes underreported. There is often pressure for nursing facilities to cut costs. This can result in facilities taking in more residents than what they’re staff can effectively and adequately handle. Understaffing can mean that a single nurse must care for dozens of residents at one time.

Nursing facilities may find that they have having problems holding onto enough adequately trained nurses and certified nursing assistants who can provide care to residents. High turnover rates can result in the over-scheduling of available staff members, who then in turn become overwhelmed by their duties.

Understaffing in nursing facilities can also lead to nursing home abuse. Staff are overwhelmed while being underpaid, which can lead staff members or caregivers to be more abusive towards their residents. Forms of abuse can include physical or sexual injuries, financial exploitation, and psychological trauma. Staff members can also neglect the needs of vulnerable residents by not giving out the proper dosage of medication or the proper medication, for example.

Consequences of Nursing Home Understaffing
There can be negative consequences of understaffing in nursing homes which can affect residents’ basic needs. Staff members may be suffering from extensive stress, which increases the likelihood of nursing home abuse and neglect. Abuse and neglect become a bigger issue as the resident to staff member ratio increases.

Neglect and abuse from nursing home staff can cause long term issues, such as psychological problems, physical illnesses, and even death in some circumstances. Understaffing can attribute to already present psychological issues or physical illnesses among residents.

Consequences of Immobile Patients
Many residents suffer from limited ability to ambulate on their own and are dependent on caregivers for all of their movement needs, as well as their physiological needs. When a nursing facility is understaffed, it can be impossible for staff members to turn the patients in bed enough times or to move residents around as they need to be moved in order to prevent bedsores. This can lead to further skin conditions or infections.

Neglecting Residents Needs
Residents may be dependent on caregivers and nursing home staff for their bathing, eating, grooming, and medication administration needs. If a resident is not bathed or groomed on a regular basis, they may develop sores and infections. Facilities that are understaffed may have problems with feeding and administering medication to residents on a routine schedule. This may lead to malnutrition, nutrition deficiencies, and other complications from not receiving medications on schedule.

The Abuse of Residents
Understaffing in nursing homes can also lead to the neglect and abuse of residents in the facility. Abusive nurses have indicated stress from understaffing is the primary cause of their being abusive to residents. Having limited time to care for each resident can result in caregivers or nursing home staff to become impatient and frustrated, resulting in abuse towards a resident.

Prevalence of Understaffing in Nursing Homes in U.S.
Each state has a different definition of what constitutes as adequate staffing levels for nursing homes; however, research indicates nearly 95 percent of nursing facilities in the United States are significantly understaffed. In 2001, 20 states introduced a total of more than 50 Bills on nursing staff standards in nursing homes.

For example, Illinois requires that a nursing home have enough staff to give each resident that needs skilled care at least 3.4 hours of nursing care, including at least 51 minutes of licensed nurse care. At least 21 minutes of the licensed nurse time bust be care by a registered nurse (R.N). For residents who are in need of intermediate care, the numbers include 2.3 hours of total nursing care, including 34 minutes by a licensed nurse and 14 minutes of registered nurse time (Illinois Citizens for Better Care).

Eleven states, including Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia have proposed staffing increases that were not passed.

Four states (Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, and Wyoming) have not changed their staffing standards since the 1970-1980s. Furthermore, eighteen sates made changes to their staffing standards in the 1990s.

Preventing Understaffing in Nursing Homes
Many nursing homes have been held accountable for issues related to understaffing in recent years through lawsuits. While this may be a temporary fix to the problem, there is much more work to be done in order to combat this issue. Because of understaffing, nursing homes nationwide have had to pay out millions of dollars to patients who have suffered from wrongful death and illnesses that are related to the understaffing in nursing facilities.

If a nursing home facility fails to provide adequate staff and supervision, it can have a serious impact on residents who depend on nurses, caregivers, and other staff members for care.

If you or a loved one has experienced abuse or neglect at the hands of a caregiver, we recommend you contact an experienced nursing home neglect and abuse attorney right away. Our team has proven success in nursing home cases and we will use our extensive legal experience to help you navigate the process to get you full and fair compensation for our loved ones injuries. To receive a free consultation, please call (312) 384-1920 or visit our website for more information.

How Can Negligent Hiring and Supervision Lead to Nursing Home Abuse?

May 12, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

Nursing homes are responsible for ensuring residents are properly cared for in a safe and healthy environment; however, when a facility and its administrators fail to hire qualified staff, provide inadequate training, or poorly supervise employees, these shortcuts could result in harm, or even death, to a resident.

What is Negligent Hiring?

Negligent hiring is “a claim made by an injured party against an employer based on theory that the employer knew or should have known about the employee’s background which, if known, indicates dangerous or untrustworthy character,” according to US Legal. Performing a proper background check could include the following:

Checking employment and personal references
Validating college degrees, certifications, and licenses
Performing a drug screening
Performing a criminal screening
Performing a credit check
Checking driving records

Examples of Negligent Hiring

There are several ways that negligent hiring could lead to resident abuse. For example, a nurse with a fraudulent degree from a non-accredited college who performs CPR on a resident could result in death. Another example is a newly hired staff member who has had a history of anger issues attacking a resident and causes injury to them.

What is Negligent Supervision?

There are several ways negligent supervision could lead to resident abuse. An example of negligent supervision would be if a registered nurse who was known to sign off on medications but never properly administered it to residents, and a resident later dies as a result of not receiving that medication. Many times, nurses will sign off saying they gave the resident their medication but didn’t. The employer was made aware that the registered nurse was doing this and didn’t address it, which leads to negligent supervision.

Examples of Negligent Supervision

There are several ways negligent supervision could lead to resident abuse, for example, an administrator of the facility is aware that a nurse and a resident don’t get along, but still assigns the nurse to work that resident, an argument could turn into a physical altercation, resulting in the resident being hurt. Another example is if a staff member knows several items have been missing from a residents’ room under the supervision of the same caregiver but doesn’t investigate, discharge, or reassign employees, the caregiver could end up stealing the resident’s identity and racking up thousands of dollars.

What To Do If You Suspect Abuse

If a nursing home facility fails to provide the proper hiring and supervision, it can have a serious impact on residents who depend on nurses, caregivers, and other staff members for care.

Why Do Nursing Homes Drug Dementia Patients Without Their Consent?

May 5, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

The Human Rights Watch estimates nearly 179,000 people in nursing homes are administered antipsychotic drugs every week without having a diagnosis for which the drug is approved. The use of antipsychotic drugs as chemical restraints has a long, disturbing history in nursing homes. Many times, staff members use antipsychotics to convenience or “discipline” a resident.

Manufacturers have faced many civil and criminal penalties in the last decade for the misbranding of the medication to promote the drug as appropriate to treat older people suffering from dementia. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required manufacturers to place a “black box warning” on the packaging, advising against the medicine and the side effects it may have on an individual. Antipsychotics being administered to someone with dementia almost doubles the risk of death for them and have never been approved as safe or effective. Despite the warning, nursing homes still administer antipsychotic drugs, sometimes without informed consent first, which is a violation of federal regulation and a person’s human rights.

Antipsychotics are powerful drugs developed to treat schizophrenia; however, nursing home staff often administer them to those with dementia for the sedative effects. Government regulations prohibits the use of drugs as chemical restraints or without informed consent.

Antipsychotics are misused for a variety of reasons, including the misperception by nursing homes that medications may help those with dementia, lack of awareness of the danger of the drug, lack of training in dementia care, and possibly the most significant, to compensate for understaffing. Kaiser Health News found that nursing homes have been exaggerating levels of nursing and caretaking staff for years, according to The Washington Post.

In most cases, antipsychotic drugs are administered in a harmful way without the appropriate consent. Nursing home residents and family members have reported the resident was given the medication without their knowledge, awareness of risks or dangers, or any objections of their own. Staff members have admitted they we not aware of an informed-consent policy, rather they gave it to the resident out of their own convenience. Nursing staff, pharmacists, and medical directors commonly prescribed medication to residents without even seeing them.

Antipsychotic drugs are a favorite among psychotropic medications in nursing home facilities because dementia is associated with aggression, anxiety, agitation, delusions, disinhibition, irritability, and wandering. Federal regulations say residents have a right to be informed of their treatment, or their right to refuse treatment; however, nursing homes ignore these rules, partly because they are rarely held accountable.

An 81-year-old man in Texas spoke out about his experience being over medicated, saying, “too many times I’m given too many pills. I can’t even talk. I have a thick tongue when they do that. I ask them not to give me the antipsychotic drugs. When I say that, they threaten to remove me from the home. They get me so I can’t think.”

The Human Rights Watch found 97 percent of citations for violations at nursing homes were related to antipsychotic drugs from 2014 to 2017. In almost no cases, the government did not impose financial penalties, leading to the likelihood of it occurring again. Nursing homes are mostly a for-profit industry, controlling most aspects of their residents’ lives.

If you or a loved one is injured due to a medication error you believe was unnecessary or wrongfully given, reach out to one of our experienced nursing home abuse attorneys. We have helped thousands of wronged victims get the justice and compensation they deserve. With over 50 years of combined experience, our verdicts and settlements have helped clients have a peace of mind and security. Please call the Dinizulu Law Group at (312) 384-1920 to schedule a free consultation 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!

Neglected Nursing Home Residents Often Develop Bed Sores

April 3, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

Most residents in nursing facilities can’t move around on their own. They may be confined to their bed or a wheelchair, and it can be difficult for them to shift their weight of their body. When a body part is experiences persistent pressure, bed sores can develop. Staff members must take extra precaution to prevent the development of bed sores, such as flipping the resident over.

What are bedsores?

According to John Hopkins, bedsores can form when a person is, “bedridden or otherwise immobile, unconscious, or unable to sense pain.” Bedsores happen on areas of the skin that are under pressure from lying in bed or wheelchair for an extended period of time.

If an immobile or bedridden resident is not turned or positioned properly, given proper nutrition and skin care, bedsores can develop into one of four stages.

What causes bedsores?
Bedsores develop when blood supply to a person’s skin is cut off for more than 2 to 3 hours. Depending on the severity of the bed sore, the person’s physical condition and depending on if they have any underlying diseases, bedsores can take days, months, or years to heal.

What are the symptoms of bedsores?
Bedsores have 4 stages, ranging from least severe to most severe:

Stage 1. The area is red and warm to touch. On darker skin, the area may have a blue or purple tint. During this stage, a person may complain that it hurts, itches, or burns.
Stage 2. The area begins to look more damaged and have an open sore, scrape or blister.
Stage 3. The area has a crater-like appearance because of the damage below the skin’s surface.
Stage 4. The area is severely damaged, and a large wound is present. Infection is a significant risk at this stage.

How are bedsores diagnosed?
A healthcare provider or physician can diagnose bedsores by inspecting the person’s skin. According to their appearance is what stage the person is at.

How do you treat bedsores?
A healthcare provider will discuss specific treatment options based on the severity of the person’s condition. Healthcare professionals are supposed to monitor the bedsore closely and document the size, depth, and response to treatment. Treatment can include:

Keeping the wound clean
Ensuring good nutrition
Removing pressure on the affected area
Protecting the wound with gauze
Medication, such as antibiotics

How can bedsores be prevented?
By examining the skin closely and looking for areas of redness, aparticularly in bony areas. Other methods include:

Turning and repositioning a resident every 2 hours
Sitting up-right in a wheelchair, repositioning roughly every 15 minutes
Provide good skin care
Provide good nutrition

What to do if I’ve found bed sores on myself or a loved one?
To prove negligence or abuse has happened to a resident, you will need an experienced nursing home neglect and abuse attorney. Our team has proven success in nursing home cases and will use our extensive legal experience to help you navigate the process and to get you full and fair compensation for you or your loved one’s injuries. To get a free consultation, please call (312) 384-1920 or contact us via our website at www.dinizululawgroup.com.

Nursing Homes Ban Visitors due to Coronavirus

March 12, 2020/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

Nursing Homes Ban Visitors due to Coronavirus

CHICAGO, IL – Nursing homes have become islands of isolation amid the shocking morality rate of coronavirus. Nursing homes nationwide have become concerned about outside visitors visiting residents which has led to the barring of all visitors – adult children can talk to their parents through a glass door just as jailhouse visitors due.

As of Wednesday, there are more than 1,311 cases confirmed in the U.S., according to state and local health agencies, governments, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nursing homes are locking down in hopes to protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable residents from being affected by the coronavirus. Thousands of nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the country are taking extra precautions. Many families are debating whether to move their loved ones out of these facilities all together and care for them at home.

On Tuesday, industry leaders recommended curtailing visits, calling this challenge “one of the most significant, if not the most significant” issues the industry has ever faced, according to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

The highly contagious disease puts the elderly and those who suffer from underlying health conditions such as respiratory distress at high risk, alarming businesses, schools, and health agencies. Guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Health Care Association (AHCA), and the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH), and the Illinois Health Care Association is rapidly increasing for these facilities.

Hospital Policies and Procedures for COVID-19

Because of ease of spread in a long-term care setting and the severity of illness that occurs in residents with COVID-19, facilities are discouraging visitation and have the ability to screen visitors before COVID-19 is identified in their community.

Facilities are responsible for sending letters or emails to resident’s family members, advising them to consider postponing

Who is at Higher Risk?

From earlier information gathering from China where COVID-19 originated from, those who are higher risk of getting sick from this illness includes:

Older adults
People who suffer from serious chronic medical conditions, such as:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Lung disease

Depending on how severe the outbreak is in your community, public health officials will make recommendations to the community to reduce the public’s risk of being exposed to COVID-19. These actions can stunt or reduce the impact of spreading the disease.

If you are at a high risk because of your age or serious long-term health problem, it’s crucial to take extra precautions to reduce your risk of getting sick.

How to Prepare for COVID-19 Now

According to the CDC, there are several ways you can make yourself prepared in case of an outbreak in your community.

Have supplies on hand
- Contact your health provider to ask about obtaining extra necessary medications to have on hand in case of an outbreak in your community in the event that you need to stay at home for an extended period of time.
- If you’re unable to get extra medication, consider using mail-orders.
- Ensure that you have extra over-the-medicine and medical supplies such as tissues, thermometers, etc. to treat fevers and other symptoms. Most people will recover at home.
- Have enough household items and groceries to be prepared for staying at home for a period of time.
Take precaution
- Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
- Take preventable action:
  - Wash your hands often using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is critical, especially after blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing in a public place.
  - If soap and water is unavailable, use hand sanitizer.
  - Avoid touching surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, and shaking hands with others.
  - Wash your hands immediately after touching a surface in public.
  - Practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces, such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, and toilets.
  - Avoid large crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure can increase substantially in a crowded area, especially those with little to no air-movement, increasing your chance of contracting COVID-19.
  - Avoid all non-essential travel including traveling by plane or embarking on a cruise ships.
- If there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community, it’s important to take extra measures to distance yourself from others to reduce your risk of being exposed to this virus.
  - Stay at home as much as possible.
    - Consider ways of food being delivered to your house, through the use of family, or social and commercial networks.

Watch for Symptoms and Emergency Warning Signs

It’s important to pay attention to warning signs of potential COVID-19 symptoms including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. If you feel like you are developing symptoms, call your physician immediately.
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, please seek medical attention immediately. Adult emergency warning signs include:
- Difficulty breathing or a shortness of breath
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Bluish-tinted lips or face

It’s important to note that these are not all warning symptoms of COVID-19. Please consult a medical provider for other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

What to Do if You Get Sick

Stay at home and call your healthcare provider.
Call your healthcare provider and let them know the symptoms you are experiencing. This will help them take care of you and keep others from getting infected or exposed.
If you are not sick enough to be hospitalized, you are able to recover from home.
Know when to get emergency help.
Get medical attention immediately if you have any of the warning signs listed.

How to Support Older Adults

Community Support

Communities should prepare for an outbreak of COVID-19 that include older adults and people with disabilities, and the organizations that support them, to ensure their needs are being taken into consideration. Many individuals in the community depend on services and support in their homes or in the community to maintain their independence and health. Long-term care facilities should be vigilant to prevent the introduction or spread of COVID-19.

Family and Caregiver Support

Know what medications your loved one is taking and make sure to have extra on hand. Monitor food and other medical supplies, such as oxygen, dialysis, wound care, etc. and always be sure to have a back-up plan. Stock up on non-perishable food items to minimize your number of trips to the store. If you care for a loved one living in a care facility, monitor the situation, ask about the health of other residents and know the protocol in the event there is an outbreak.

For more information on how to protect your loved one who is in a long-term care facility or assisted living facility, please visit CDC’s website on ways to take more precaution. If your loved one has sustained a serious infectious disease complication resulting from negligent or missed medical treatment provided by a nursing home or due to a low level of staff care, they may be entitled to compensation. Please reach out to Dinizulu Law group now for a free consultation at (312) 384-1920.

The Severity of Medication Errors

November 20, 2019/in Blog/by Yao Dinizulu

CHICAGO, IL – Medication errors are one of the most prevalent problems in the healthcare industry. Experts estimate that more than 7 million Americans experience a medication error each year. In the study, it stated mistakes have cost more than $21 billion – which are all preventable. Some individuals are able to handle the unintentional consequences of improper medication administration, but for seniors and young children, this can be life threatening.

Medication errors are particularly found in nursing homes due to under-staffing. Many say that errors are common and not life-threatening; however, there are errors that are likely to be under-reported which the medical coding system makes easy to cover up error-related deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) argues medication errors are the third most common cause of death among nursing home patients.

So what does this say about nursing homes? Extensive investigations have taken place and research has shown as many as 95 percent of nursing homes in the United States are understaffed, causing neglect to most patients. Nursing home staff is expected to work longer hours and care for double, or even triple, the amount of residents they are normally expected to care for.

Types of Errors

The Nursing Home Law Center requires skilled nursing facilities to keep errors within a 5 percent margin. Although this margin is broadly defined, it includes errors such as not mixing medication as directed, giving medications at improper times, or not dosing the last small portion of medication.

Errors within this 5 percent margin do not impact licensing because these types of administration errors are likely to be made at home when self-administering, as well. More serious errors can lead to tremor, coma, or even death – resulting in legal action against nursing facilities.

Prevention Process

Nursing homes must begin to increase staffing levels exponentially and invest in better prevention practices to help prevent nursing home abuse. Nursing facilities are chronically understaffed due to the notorious low-paid and poor management resulting in high turnover rates. High turnover rates cause staff to be unfamiliar with patients needs and care regiments, and are more likely to make mistakes.

Nursing homes need to implement a medication reconciliation program that evaluates a complete list of medications used by each patient. These programs are critical as many patients will not be able to independently which is used to verify their course of treatment.

Finally, nursing homes need to minimize high-risk behaviors, such as disposing of discontinued medications or medications from discharged patients, improperly transporting medications, or administering medications without a full review of the label directions.

As a society, we must come together to protect nursing home residents who are some of the most vulnerable members of our society. They deserve to be treated fairly and just with careful and appropriate treatment. This is critical on management as they will need to be client-focused and to implement changes immediately by taking responsibilities more serious.

The Alarming Reality

For one family, their loss of a loved one was tragic and very much preventable. A recently widowed 71-year-old female was hospitalized for uncontrolled hypertension and acute kidney injury. Her past medical history was significant for coronary heart disease with hypertension, persevered ejection fraction, and type 2 diabetes. The patient had a history of being a cigarette smoker and was under significant stress due to the death of her husband.

During her stay of hospitalization, she clinically improved after receiving temporary hemodialysis and her anti-hypertensive medications were adjusted. At the time of discharge, her prescription medications included amlodipine (Norvasc) 10mg twice daily with two refills allowed, metoprolol 50mg twice daily, doxazosin 2mg daily, and torsemide 10mg daily.

Over the course of 3 months, she experienced worsening fatigue, personality changes, became lethargic, and slower movements – all of which was noted in medical records. Her blood pressure was no longer controlled, and she was re-hospitalized for chest pain and underwent angioplasty. When admitted to the hospital, she saw multiple specialists and ancillary staff. As an outpatient, she was seen by her family physician twice. After several weeks had passed, she was eventually diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and prescribed citalopram and alprazolam.

The patient then entered the emergency room for a third time after a fall. She demonstrated several side effects of the multiple medications she was prescribed to take. Lab work was conducted and was noted for elevated creatinine and a CT of the head and brain revealed no acute abnormalities. Admission medication reconciliation (MED REC) revealed she was taking metoprolol, doxazosin, alprazolam, citalopram, and thiothixene (Navane) 10 mg twice daily.

Upon review of her pill bottles, it was found that her outpatient pharmacy accidentally dispensed Navane, an anti-psychotic, instead of Norvasc, and she took this medication religiously for 3 months. A diagnosis of thiothixene-related drug-induced Parkinsonism was made.

Errors were made at a multitude of care levels, including prescribing, initial pharmacy dispensation hospitalization, and subsequent outpatient follow-up. Adverse drug events account for more than 3.5 million physician office visits and nearly 1 million emergency department visits per year that affects patients, providers, and the economy.

Despite the countless opportunities for intervention, multiple health care providers overlooked her symptoms. Our population is continually growing with a longer life-expectancy, the frequent occurrence of medication errors and polypharamacy will likely increase. Efforts must be made to improve overall physician communication and transition of care to decrease preventable errors.

What to do if Your Loved One has been Neglected or Abused in a Nursing Home

It’s important to reach out to an experienced nursing home abuse attorney immediately to begin reviewing the facts of your case. In the case discussed, the woman is entitled to legal action against the hospital, providers, and specific staff members who neglected her, among others. Due to the statue of limitations, an attorney must begin to work on your case immediately.

Do not wait to hear what the facility is going to do going forward to address this issue – contact an attorney right away. The attorney’s at Dinizulu Law Group specialize in nursing home abuse and neglect and use their experience with a dynamic and honest approach so appropriate parties are held accountable for the abuse your loved one has endured. Please call our office to schedule a free consultation. For additional information, please visit our website.

Contact Information:

(312) 384-1920

221 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601