Elder Law

Somerset Place Gives Up License

By Levin & Perconti

The Chicago Defender is reporting that the Chicago nursing home of Somerset Place has had to give up their nursing home license. They also have to pay fines that will total $20,000. Until their closure, Somerset Place had more than 300 mentally ill residents housed in the facility. Investigators found that the nursing home had many fights and verbal abuse amongst the elderly residents and the mentally ill patients. The nursing home was also cited for lack of supervision to the point that the federal government terminated their funding. Countless nursing home studies have found that proper staffing is one of the quintessential factors to a well-functioning nursing home. If you or a loved one experienced nursing home abuse at Somerset Place, please consult a Chicago nursing home lawyer.

While a license-revocation hearing was scheduled for this week, it was canceled due to the recent settlement. Somerset Place had been owned by a group of investors and was a for-profit nursing home. To read more about Somerset Place?s closure, please click the link.

The Illinois Department of Health is responsible for the regulation of nursing homes along with to the US Department of Health and Human Services? and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Illinois licensure surveys are conducted on the nursing home site and cover a three to four day period. These inspectors evaluate all aspects of resident care by making sure residents are being properly medicated, fed and looked after. As in the above case, they also look into any suspected or alleged crimes and consult with the local police department. The IDPH plays a vital role in the assurance of nursing home safety and seek to diminish nursing home abuse.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on April 23, 2010 (boomark / email).