Elder Law

Illinois Nursing Home Administrator Resigns

By Levin & Perconti

The La Salle County Nursing Home administrator, Amjad Hussain, resigned his position last week after only six months on the job, reports the News-Tribune.

According to the report, Mr. Hussain had been working positive changes at the facility since he started the position in February. The nursing home had previously had a history of abuse and neglect. In the two years prior to his arrival several residents of the nursing home had been sexually abused by other residents. In addition, the facility had gotten into legal trouble after failing to follow state law in some of its furniture purchases.

Yet, just recently, under Amjad Hussain?s leadership, the facility had passed an Illinois Department of Public Health survey which confirmed that appropriate changes were being made to correct the previous examples of nursing home abuse.

But the improvements to the facility guided by Administrator Hussain ended last week when he offered his resignation to the La Salle County Board. The exact reason for the resignation is unclear; however some sources have confirmed that the main cause was Hussain?s frustration at his inability to remove underperforming employees. Apparently, there were legal uncertainties regarding the Administrator?s power to fire substandard employees who provide care to the elderly residents. Hussain decided that he did not want to work at the facility if those potentially negligent employees were allowed to keep working with residents.

Employment complications exist in any workplace. However, when the care of vulnerable elderly residents is at stake, no workplace can afford to allow negligent or abusive healthcare workers to risk the safety of our loved ones. Our Chicago nursing home attorneys at Levin & Perconti have been involved in countless legal battles involving inadequate nursing home employees who neglected and abused residents, often to their death.

Please contact our nursing home lawyers if you know of anyone who has similarly suffered at the hands of negligent nursing home staff members.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on August 17, 2010 (boomark / email).