Elder Law

Illinois Nursing Home Violation: Columbus Manor Residential Care Home

By Levin & Perconti

One of the many Chicago nursing homes that was recently cited for care violations by the Illinois Department of Public Health was the Columbus Manor Residential Care Home, located on the 5100 block West Jackson Boulevard. The nursing home was charged with several Type ?A? Violations from the Illinois department and was fined $15,000. The violations resulted from the facility?s failure to properly protect and report on abuse of several residents by others.

One nursing home resident was found sad and tearful at the facility one evening. Upon further investigation, officials realized that the resident had an injury on her arm. It appeared to be a significant sore. When asked further, the resident admitted that another individual at the facility had burned a cigarette out on her arm. Apparently, the victimized resident had told the aggressor that she was not allowed to smoke in that location and asked her to extinguish the cigarette. That led the smoker to get angry and put the cigarette out on the victim?s arm.

The report of the incident prepared by nursing home employees makes no mention of the alleged aggressor or concerns about retaliation by other residents. Also, the employees failed to confiscate the cigarettes and take any steps to ensure that similar actions were not taken in the future.

In one of several other acts of negligence, staff members failed to stop one resident from physically and sexually assaulting another. The 67-year old victim was in her bed one night when a male resident entered. The intruding resident inappropriately grabbed the victim in bed and made sexual demands. When the victim refused the abuser punched her in the face and started choking her. The attack only ended when other residents heard the commotion and rushed into the room.

These represent only two of several horrific acts of negligent care documented in this latest report.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on December 12, 2010 (boomark / email).