Elder Law

Family Files Nursing Home Neglect Lawsuit Against ManorCare Health Services

By Levin & Perconti

Two of our attorneys at Levin & Perconti filed a lawsuit against ManorCare Health Services today following the wrongful death of Dolores ?Dee? Howorth. Dee died only a month after moving into the Hinsdale nursing home and being admitted to the facility?s dementia unit. She suffered from Alzheimer?s but was alert and active?she remained a lively, integral part of her family. In fact, her son Hank Howorth and his wife Chrissie specifically chose the facility at ManorCare because they wanted their mother to be given what they assumed would be specialized care for her dementia.

Unfortunately, specialized care was the last thing Dee would receive at the facility.

Within twenty four hours upon her arrival, ManorCare began dealing with Dee by prescribing her two sedatives: Ativan and Seroquel. On top of that, the facility immediately assigned Dee to a wheel-chair with a lap restraint.

It wasn?t long before the family noticed clear changes in their once lively family member. When Hank and Chrissie first visited, Dee seemed overmedicated, drowsy, and was constantly slumped in her wheelchair. Hank questioned nursing home staff about his mother?s state at the facility, but he was assured that her condition was only temporary.

Sadly, there was nothing temporary about it. Staff members at the facility failed to properly hydrate Dee, and failed to notice her clear change in condition. Dee lost 16 pounds in a week and a half, and she showed clear signs of dehydration?dry skin, chalky mouth, and trouble swallowing. By mid-April, only a month after arriving at the facility, Dee died at a local hospital from acute renal failure caused by dehydration.

Attorney Steve Levin explains the nexus of the lawsuit: ?ManorCare had a duty to protect her well-being and dignity but neglected to monitor her condition or provide her with even the basic necessities, causing both Dee and her family to suffer needlessly.?

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on September 02, 2010 (boomark / email).