Elder Law

Illinois Nursing Home?Galesburg Terrace?Cited for Mold

By Levin & Perconti

WQAD News reported yesterday on a citation given out by the Illinois Department of Health over concerns about resident safety at an Illinois nursing home.

Earlier this month the Department conducted an investigation of Galesburg Terrace, a nursing home in Western Illinois. During the inspection, the staff officials found a suspicious black mold growing seven residents' rooms as well as in a shower room. On top of the mold citation, the facility was also penalized for ventilation problems and errors in residents? medication administration.

These citations from the Illinois Department of Health are certainly not the first for this particularly negligent facility. According to the Galesburg Register-Mail, two years ago the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) called for the state to take control of the facility following continued and repeated problems with resident care at the Terrace. In making their concerns public, SEIU uncovered 77 specific instances of violations of patient care and fire safety care by the facility in only a two year period. Those dozens of errors included the most basic acts of nursing home negligence like failing to keep residents? cleaned and groomed, failure to call 911 following an emergency, and failure to monitor suspicious changes in a resident?s condition leading to death.

As strong advocates for the rights of residents at all Illinois nursing homes, our Chicago nursing home attorneys at Levin & Perconti urge close supervision of all problem facilities in the state. Our experience has shown that many instances of elder abuse and neglect continue to occur repeatedly at a select group of bad nursing homes. Year after year these facilities fail to abide by the law and provide for humane, dignified care for the vulnerable residents who depend on them. If you have witnessed any problematic care at a facility near you, please contact a nursing home lawyer today.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on September 04, 2010 (boomark / email).