Recent Posts in Nursing Home Abuse Category

Texas Police in Lufkin arrested a woman suspected in a nursing home abuse case this week after an employee reported witnessing her physically abuse a patient.

According to the arrest affidavit, Shondra Rodriquez was caught abusing an 80-year-old woman last month at the Castle Pines nursing home.  According to the staff worker who witnessed the attack, she went to check on a patient after noticing her door was shut and her help light on.  When she opened the door she saw Rodriquez striking the woman on her left hand and noticed blood on the bed.  She immediately reported it to the hall desk.

After other staff members came into the room, they witnessed the patient's skin begin to bruise on her hands and arms.  Upon questioning, Rodriquez admitted to holding down the woman's hands and trying to fight with her.

When admitting a loved one into a nursing home, you expect that he or she is treated with care and respect.  When that trust is violated by suspected or known abuse, it can be a very traumatic experience.  If you have experienced or have suspicions of abuse, do not hesitate to call our offices and speak directly with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney.  At Page Cagle, we will fight to get you the compensation and attention you deserve.  Contact us today for a free consultation.

Lexington Health Care Center of Lake Zurich outside of Chicago was sued last week on behalf of Edna Kneidek, a former resident who suffered multiple injuries from falls including a hip fracture that has left her permanently immobile.

According to the plaintiff's attorney, Kneidek was admitted to Lexington Health Care in Dec. 2006 after residing in an assisted living facility.  Because of her progressed dementia, her Kneidek's daughters felt it was the best option.

Upon admittance, the center classified her as "high risk" for falls, but because of its negligent care, she fell 5 times in the course of just 7 months.  One fall shattered her left hip, an injury that led Kneidek's family to remove her soon after hip surgery.

According to the suit, Lexington failed to properly assess Edna's risk for falls or protect her from injury.  Furthermore, the home did not respond to her complaints of pain after falling, nor did they transfer her to the hospital in a timely fashion.

If you have a parent or loved one who has been harmed or abused in a nursing home or assisted living facility, it is imperative that you contact a nursing home abuse attorney right away.  Whether it is neglect, carelessness, or physical abuse, you have the right to legal action.  Contact one of our experienced attorneys today for a free consultation.

In a complaint filed on Feb. 20 in a St. Clair County Circuit Court, Donna Bickl and Charles Adams sued the Southern Illinois Community Support Services facility for the wrongful death of their brother, Richard A. Taylor.

Taylor, a 54-year-old mentally retarded man, died last August due to complications from a hip surgery that he needed to repair a fractured hip, an injury he incurred at SICSSI.  Since he was unable to care for himself, Taylor lived at the care center under 24-hour supervision.  He injured his hip in the shower after the staff failed to put him in a shower strap, putting him at direct risk for a fall.

As a result, Taylor was hospitalized and scheduled for immediate surgery.  Complications from the procedure led to his death on August 19.  According to the suit, the plaintiff's claim that before dying, Taylor experienced, "severe pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of a normal life, and incurred medical expenses."

His relatives also state that his death caused them grief, sorrow, and loss of society.  They allege SICSSI staff was negligent in failing to strap Taylor into his shower chair and for a lack of oversight and supervision of his care. The four-count suit asks for a judgment greater than the minimum jurisdictional limits of the court including attorney fees and costs.

Losing a loved one is undoubtedly a painful and traumatic experience, especially if the loss was a result of another person's negligence or wrong-doing.  At Page Cagle, our wrongful death attorneys have the experience and skills necessary to litigate a wrongful death suit in Illinois and Missouri, knowing full-well the specifics of the state laws governing how and when to file.  If you have a wrongful death case, rest assured that the legal team at Page Cagle will do everything in their power to get you the compensation you deserve.  Contact us today for a free consultation.

Weeks after Sarah Wentworth's family began their investigation, the circumstances surrounding their mother's death have finally begun to reveal themselves.

The night Wentworth died, an employee at the Arbor of Itasca Nursing Home heard a door alarm sound down the hall.  Seeing nothing by the door, she simply shut off the alarm and continued watching television.  If she had followed the home's official written policy concerning alarms, she would have walked the 90 feet to the door and discovered Sarah Wentworth, standing alone outside in the courtyard.  Instead, Wentworth to freeze to death.

Earlier this month, Wentworth's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging "gross neglect" against Itasca's staff for failing to monitor an elderly dementia patient and follow official safety policy.  According to Police statements, only an extreme level of neglect would allow a patient who wore an ankle monitor and could barely get up on her own to walk out an alarmed door unattended. 

To make matters worse, the family's investigation also uncovered evidence that the staff attempted to cover up her death by putting Wentworth back into bed and changing her clothes.  Currently, up to four employees could face criminal charges and even more are suspended from duty.

According to the Illinois Department of Health, more than 14 complaints were filed against The Arbor of Itasca last year.

When admitting your loved one into a nursing home, you assume that you are providing them with the care and attention they need.  So, when you find out that they have been harmed, injured, or abused, you should not hesitate to file a complaint.  The Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys at Page Cagle are familiar with adult protective services and can lead you through the legal process.