Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Golden LivingCenter - Dexter is a 73 bed nursing home facility located in Dexter, Missouri. For the past three years, Golden LivingCenter - Dexter's inspection deficiency record has increasingly worsened. During the 2010 inspection period, which is the most recent information available, Golden LivingCenter - Dexter was cited for seventeen deficiencies. It received seven deficiencies during the 2009 inspection period and just five deficiencies during the 2008 inspection period. Nationwide, the average number of health deficiencies found at a nursing home facility is eight, while the average number of deficiencies found in Missouri nursing homes is seven. Based upon its current inspection results, Golden LivingCenter - Dexter far surpasses the national average by double the number of deficiencies, an accomplishment that, no doubt, factors into the one-star rating Golden LivingCenter - Dexter received in the rating system instituted by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Suspicions of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment are serious allegations and all nursing home facilities are required to report all instances of suspected abuse, neglect, or mistreatment, whether it be from staff, a fellow resident, or from another source. Golden LivingCenter - Dexter was cited in 2008 for failing to protect its residents from abuse when it was learned that some residents were not kept free from physical restraints unless necessary for medical treatment. That same year, the facility was cited for failing to give professional services that meet a professional standard of quality, and for its failure to have a sufficient program to prevent infections from spreading.

As we can imagine, infection can be a serious problem in a nursing home where the residents are often vulnerable, rely totally on the care given by facility employees, and are unable to protect themselves from infection. The failure to have a program that sufficiently prevents infections may result in serious injuries and potentially death to a nursing home resident.

The facility was assessed a Mistreatment Deficiency again in 2009 when it failed to write and use policies that forbid mistreatment, neglect, and abuse of residents and theft of resident property. This is another administrative failure in procedure. In 2008, they failed to implement a proper infection control policy. In 2009, they failed to have policies on abuse and neglect. These failures represent a serious and systemic problem at the highest levels at Golden LivingCenter - Dexter.

All nursing home residents are entitled to the best care possible. Golden LivingCenter - Dexter has amassed a series of citations in the area of quality care. In 2008 and 2010, the facility was cited for failing to provide professional services to residents with feeding tubes to prevent problems, such as aspiration pneumonia, vomiting, and dehydration. At least one Golden LivingCenter - Dexter resident suffered actual harm on November 25, 2009, when inspectors determined that the facility failed to give each resident the care and services necessary to get or keep the highest quality of life possible. Despite this actual injury, just five months later, on April 8, 2010, the facility was cited again in this area. Other citations assessed to the facility during the 2010 reporting period were failure to provide proper treatment to prevent bedsores or heal existing bedsores, failure to ensure that residents who cannot care for themselves receive help with activities of daily living, and failure to have enough nurses to care for every resident in a way that maximizes the resident's well-being.