Lawsuit Against Illinois Long-Term Care Facility Alleges Failure to Protect and Negligence
Providing ineffective fall prevention interventions for residents known to be at high risk for falls may be considered failure to protect residents from avoidable accidents and hazards, resulting in substandard quality of care with submission of a false claim
Compliance Perspective – Falls
Policies/Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing will review policies and procedures addressing residents’ fall risk assessments and related care planning.
Training: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing will ensure that staff are aware of all residents’ fall risk care plan interventions and are trained to act in a timely manner in order to prevent falls.
Audit: The Compliance and Ethics Officer should personally conduct an audit by reviewing the fall risk assessments of all residents at high risk for falls to determine if there are appropriate care plan interventions in place and if they are consistently implemented by the facility staff.
A woman has filed a lawsuit through her duly appointed power of attorney against an Illinois long-term care facility claiming the facility violated the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act by failing to protect her from multiple falls, knowing she was at high-risk for falls.
The complaint alleges that the woman was admitted into the facility in March 2018, and it was noted then that she was at high risk for falls. The suit further claims that despite knowing her high risk for falls, the woman fell on two occasions, sustaining injuries both times that required hospitalization and surgery for a fracture to her left femur and a fracture to her left ankle.
The plaintiff claims that these falls contributed to a decline in her physical and mental condition. She is seeking a jury trial and $50,000 plus attorney fees.
