Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

An Alton, Illinois nursing home worker has been charged with criminal abuse or neglect of an elderly person and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

The 41 year old employee of the Bethalto, Illinois nursing home, which remains unnamed, reportedly removed a Fentanyl pain patch from an 87 year old resident on Friday for her own personal use. Fentanyl, a powerful pain killer often administered through patches, is frequently used illicitly because it reportedly affects the body in ways similar to heroin.

According to the Madison County State's Attorney's Office, the nursing home staff reportedly noticed the absence of the woman's pain-killing patch and replaced it.

Sadly, this is an all too common story. Many nursing homes do little, if any, background searches on potential employees. Far too often, as a result, individuals with criminal backgrounds, drug problems, or worse are allowed to be in a close physical and often intimate, contact with vulnerable senior citizens. To make matters worse, nursing home staffing levels are often cut so deep that many employees have virtually no supervision.

If your loved on is in a nursing home, check them often, ask questions, insist on answers and be suspicious of every single employee. It is a sad, but true, fact of life.

The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. If you suspect that your loved one may be experiencing abuse or neglect at the hands of nursing home staff and need advice, contact Illinois Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney David Terry at (888) 317-2525 for a FREE, no obligation consultation.

A Cuba, Missouri nursing home bookkeeper faces multiple felony charges in connection with allegedly misappropriating money from nursing home residents.

The Cuba Manor former bookkeeper has been charged with five felony counts of abuse of a person receiving health care, two felony counts of forgery, and two felony counts of stealing by deceit after an investigation determined that she stole approximately $88,550.98 from nursing home residents between January 2, 2009 and October 24, 2010. She reportedly misappropriated the funds and forged signatures of facility residents and guardians.

She is charged with one Class B felony, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and eight Class C felonies, which can be punishable by up to seven years for each violation plus penalties and restitution.

A Rockford, Illinois retirement community was forced to evacuate after catching fire. Firefighters were called to the four story Rogue Valley Towers building around 12:30 a.m. on June 17. Reportedly, someone smoking in an apartment caused the fire. The mass evacuation was performed as a precaution due to an oxygen tank rumored to be in the apartment.
No injuries were reported.

Another Illinois retirement community, Bishop Hills, offered shelter to fifteen to eighteen elderly Rogue Valley Towers residents overnight.

The Terry Law Firm is an Illinois personal injury law firm that represents Rockford nursing home residents wh ohave been abused or neglected by those supposed to care for them. If you have any questions about nursing home abuse or neglect in Rockford or the surrounding area, call us toll-free at 1-888-317-2525.

An Arkansas CNA faces manslaughter charges after a resident under her care had unexplained burns on his body.

The CNA was arrested on Wednesday and charged with manslaughter in the death of a 65 year-old resident at Three Rivers Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. The resident, who was paralyzed, was found unresponsive in his electric wheelchair at a cemetery located approximately one mile from the facility.

The man was transported to a local hospital and then taken to The Med in Memphis, Tennessee, where he died on June 4. An autopsy revealed that the man had severe burns on the lower half of his body.

According to the police investigation, the CNA had given the man a bath on June 4 in a whirlpool often used for residents confined to wheelchairs. The resident's body had areas that were unburned on his body that were consistent with straps used to keep him stable in the chair while bathing. According to the prosecuting attorney, "The medical examiner said his death was related to the burns. We found that the CNA was responsible for the bath. She didn't treat or dress the burns and she failed to notify anyone about the burns.

The CNA is set to enter a plea to the charges on July 25, 2011.

Elderly nursing home residents often have fragile skin. Subsequently, nursing home staff must employ all safety measures possible when bathing residents, especially paralyzed residents who are unable to feel extremes in temperature. It is the responsibility of the nursing home and its related corporate entities to ensure that facility staff are properly in-serviced on the sensitive job of bathing the elderly residents. Included in that training should be the appropriate temperature for bathing residents. Sadly, injuries such as this are not uncommon.

This injury could have and should have been avoided. Facility staff should be familiar with facility policies for proper bath water temperatures to insure that residents are not accidentally scalded. If policies and procedures fail to address appropriate temperatures, then staff should test the water before the elderly resident is bathed. If the water is hot to the point of being uncomfortable to their touch, then they know that it will be uncomfortable for the elderly resident.

TheTerry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. If you or a loved one has suffered injury at the hands of nursing home staff, contact David Terry at 1-888-317-2525 to schedule your FREE, no obligation consultation today.

An Illinois nursing home's Director of Nursing is dead following a drug overdose, according to published reports.

Forty-one year old James Scooler, the Director of Nursing for Timbercreek Rehab & Healthcare Center, died on April 1, 2011 at the facility. Scooler was found on his knees in a restroom near his office after facility employees noticed he was missing for approximately two hours. The deputy coroner pronounced him dead around 9:59 p.m. Upon examining the body, the deputy coroner found a syringe in Scooler's right sock filled with a Fentanyl patch and saline solution. The autopsy examination also revealed a Fentanyl patch wrapper in Scooler's left sock and fresh puncture wounds between Scooler's thigh and groin. Scooler reportedly died from a Fentanyl overdose after he took the medicine from a lock box used to temporarily hold prescriptions of patients whose medications have changed or who have died.

At the time of his death, Scooler was on probation with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation for substance abuse. He had been suspended from May 25, 2007 through November 18, 2008 for "failure to abide by the terms of his care, counseling, and treatment agreement". He was restored to probationary status on November 18, 2008 for three years.

As troubling as Mr. Schooler's death is, it is equally troubling that Timbercreek Rehab & Healthcare was aware of Scooler's probationary status but reportedly did not drug test him because "it assumed the IDPR would be monitoring him". Not only did they refuse to drug test a person with known drug problems, they also put Scooler in charge of disposing the facility's narcotic medications. In my mind, this is equivalent to putting an alcoholic in charge of stocking a bar. At best, this was horrific judgment on the part of Timbercreek management and ownership. A file cabinet containing those drugs was found in Scooler's office with a padlock on it. Because the key could not be located, the lock was cut off and Pekin Police Detective Matt Damron found evidence that the medications were not being disposed of and some of the medications dated back to January 2011.

If you or a loved one has suffered abuse or neglect at the hands of an Illinois nursing home, contact David Terry at the Terry Law Firm at 314-878-9797 or 888-317-2525 to schedule your free no obligation consultation.