Month: April 2016

Illinois Bill Would Prohibit Anonymous Complaints Concerning Nursing Homes

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Anonymous complaints concerning Illinois nursing homes would no longer be accepted, or investigated, under a bill currently in the Illinois House of Representatives.

The bill, H.B. 5601, which was introduced earlier this year, would amend the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act to require identifying information about people filing neglect or abuse complaints.

Under the bill, the identifying information would be kept confidential by the Illinois Department of Public Health.  However, nursing home investigators would be able to contact people who filed complaints should they desire further information.

Two excerpts concerning the bill from the April 22, 2016 U.S. News and World Report article titled “Illinois Bill Would Require Identity of People Who Complain About Nursing Homes“:

Authorities in Illinois would not investigate anonymous calls alleging abuse or neglect at nursing homes or assisted living facilities under legislation being considered by state lawmakers, with proponents saying the measure aims to cut back on false accusations and harassment.

Those opposed to the bill, however, say it would put residents’ safety at risk.

also:

Complaints, meanwhile, are one of the main ways authorities can resolve potentially systemic issues within long-term care facilities. They can involve mistreatment or violence on the part of a staff member, financial exploitation, a medication error or unsanitary conditions. People who wish to file one with a state health agency often have an option to remain anonymous, at least to the facility they’re complaining against.

Additional details regarding this bill can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the U.S. News & World Report article mentioned above, as well as the April 15 State Journal-Register article titled “Bill would ban anonymous complaints against nursing homes.”

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Should someone you care for experience Illinois nursing home abuse or neglect or a nursing home accident – or suffer an injury at a similar health care facility such as an assisted living facility, retirement home, skilled nursing facility (SNF) or hospital – please contact the Elman Joseph Law Group at (773) 392-8182 to discuss the situation and to discuss the potential of an injury lawsuit.  This no-obligation legal consultation is free and confidential.  Elman Joseph Law Group handles cases on a contingency basis…no fees are charged unless and until monetary compensation is achieved.    

Elman Joseph Law Group’s Lead Attorney, Tony Elman, is a personal injury trial lawyer.  Over the last 20+ years Elman Joseph Law Group has handled over 10,000 Illinois personal injury lawsuits.

During this 20+ year period, Elman Joseph Law Group has built a reputation for its courtroom trial performance, including getting large verdicts for smaller cases.

To speak directly to Tony Elman, Lead Attorney of the Elman Joseph Law Group, call (773) 392-8182 at any time.  This legal consultation is free and confidential.  

Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC handles Chicago area and other Illinois personal injury lawsuits as well as wrongful death lawsuits.

Pressure Injuries, Their Classifications, And Their Significance

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The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) has been mentioned on this site for their research and classifications regarding pressure ulcers.  Recently, they have changed some terminology with regarding to pressure ulcers, and made changes to their “Stages” of pressure ulcers, largely based upon the degree of soft tissue damage.

The changes are discussed in the April 13, 2016 press release titled “National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) announces a change in terminology from pressure ulcer to pressure injury and updates the stages of pressure injury.”  An excerpt from the release:

The term “pressure injury” replaces “pressure ulcer” in the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Pressure Injury Staging Systemaccording to the NPUAP. The change in terminology more accurately describes pressure injuries to both intact and ulcerated skin. In the previous staging system Stage 1 and Deep Tissue Injury described injured intact skin, while the other stages described open ulcers. This led to confusion because the definitions for each of the stages referred to the injuries as “pressure ulcers”.

The definition of “pressure injury” is the following:

A pressure injury is localized damage to the skin and/or underlying soft tissue usually over a bony prominence or related to a medical or other device. The injury can present as intact skin or an open ulcer and may be painful. The injury occurs as a result of intense and/or prolonged pressure or pressure in combination with shear. The tolerance of soft tissue for pressure and shear may also be affected by microclimate, nutrition, perfusion, co-morbidities and condition of the soft tissue.

Newly-revised definitions of various Pressure Injury stages are also described in the press release.  There are four stages, as well as four additional definitions, including one for “Deep Tissue Pressure Injury.”

Illustrations of these Pressure Injury Stages and other definitions can be seen on the “Pressure Injury Staging Illustrations” page.

As often discussed on this site, the existence of pressure injuries can be problematical for many reasons.  As seen in various discussions, statistics, and wrongful death lawsuits, pressure injuries can cause both direct and indirect adverse health conditions.  If such injuries do not receive immediate and proper medical treatment, a further deterioration of health can occur, and such a decline in health can lead to potentially life-threatening and fatal conditions.

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Should someone you care for experience Illinois nursing home abuse or neglect or a nursing home accident – or suffer an injury at a similar health care facility such as an assisted living facility, retirement home, skilled nursing facility (SNF) or hospital – please contact the nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at the Elman Joseph Law Group at (773) 392-8182 to discuss the situation and to discuss the potential of an injury lawsuit.  This no-obligation legal consultation is free and confidential.  Elman Joseph Law Group handles cases on a contingency basis…no fees are charged unless and until monetary compensation is achieved.    

Elman Joseph Law Group’s Lead Attorney, Tony Elman, is a personal injury trial lawyer.  Over the last 25+ years Elman Joseph Law Group has handled over 10,000 Illinois personal injury lawsuits.

During this 25+ year period, Elman Joseph Law Group has built a reputation for its courtroom trial performance, including getting large verdicts for smaller cases.

To speak directly to Tony Elman, Lead Attorney of the Elman Joseph Law Group, call (773) 392-8182 at any time.  This legal consultation is free and confidential.  

Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC handles Chicago area and other Illinois personal injury lawsuits as well as wrongful death lawsuits.

Lawsuit Filed Regarding Fatal Bedsores

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Many lawsuits regarding bedsores (also referred to as bed sores, pressure sores, and pressure ulcers) allege that negligence occurred in the treatment (or lack of) of the bedsores.  As discussed frequently on this site, bedsores that develop and worsen can lead to a variety of ill-effects with regard to one’s health.  One of the adverse health conditions that can develop is sepsis.

Many Illinois wrongful death lawsuits filed against nursing homes regard bedsores that have worsened in severity, leading to direct and indirect adverse health impacts, that at some point leads to the death of a resident.

An example of a lawsuit filed over the death of a long-term care resident who allegedly died from bedsores and their complications is seen in the April 6, 2016 Cook County Record article titled “Estate Blames Bolingbrook long-term nursing facility for death.”  (The lawsuit is also discussed in the April 7 Bolingbrook Patch article titled “Bolingbrook Nursing Home Sued for Negligence Leading to Death.”)

As seen in these articles, the lawsuit over the resident’s death alleges negligence as well as violation of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act.  The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

An excerpt from the Cook County Record article:

According to the complaint, in April 2014, Phillips developed several pressure ulcers to her right heel and her hip that worsened, leading to her death Sept. 14, 2014. The plaintiff alleges Butterfield Healthcare failed to provide adequate assistance and supervision to prevent the development and worsening of multiple pressure ulcers.

Additional details regarding this Cook County nursing home lawsuit can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the articles mentioned above.

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Should someone you care for experience Illinois nursing home abuse or neglect or a nursing home accident – or suffer an injury at a similar health care facility such as an assisted living facility, retirement home, skilled nursing facility (SNF) or hospital – please contact the Elman Joseph Law Group at (773) 392-8182 to discuss the situation and to discuss the potential of an injury lawsuit.  This no-obligation legal consultation is free and confidential.  Elman Joseph Law Group handles cases on a contingency basis…no fees are charged unless and until monetary compensation is achieved.    

Elman Joseph Law Group’s Lead Attorney, Tony Elman, is a personal injury trial lawyer.  Over the last 20+ years Elman Joseph Law Group has handled over 10,000 Illinois personal injury lawsuits.

During this 20+ year period, Elman Joseph Law Group has built a reputation for its courtroom trial performance, including getting large verdicts for smaller cases.

To speak directly to Tony Elman, Lead Attorney of the Elman Joseph Law Group, call (773) 392-8182 at any time.  This legal consultation is free and confidential.  

Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC handles Chicago area and other Illinois personal injury lawsuits as well as wrongful death lawsuits.