More Allegations of Illinois Nursing Home Abuse against Nursing Home

Chicago, ILAlthough many people think of abuse in seniors' homes when they think of Illinois nursing home abuse, the truth is that nursing homes include homes for people with mental and physical disabilities. That also means that Illinois nursing home abuse can take place in homes for people with disabilities. One home in particular seems to be the focus of claims of abuse at nursing homes in Illinois.

That home is Alden Village North, which, according to The Chicago Tribune (01/10/11), has received a number of citations regarding deaths that occurred in the home. The most recent citation involved a 14-month-old girl, whose death resulted in an investigation. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the 14-month-old suffered from a heart condition and seizure disorder and had "heavy growth" of a staph bacterium.

Despite the growth of the bacterium, the girl's doctor was not notified until two days after the growth was discovered. She died of septic shock the day after she was admitted to hospital. Investigators looking into the case then learned of a 14-year-old boy whose health problems were also not divulged to doctors in a timely manner.

Among other complaints against the home are failure to investigate neglect allegations, failure to take children on outings for months at a time—one boy had been out of the home twice in seven months—and failure to provide proper hygiene.

According to The Tribune, Alden has had 14 deaths that resulted in citations since 2000, reportedly the worst safety record in Illinois for similar nursing homes. Those included the deaths of two young children who died when staff did not hear their alarm monitors alerting them to the victims' breathing difficulties. Meanwhile, a different patient died after his night nurse left work early and his day nurse arrived for work late. That incident has resulted in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the home.

The family of one young boy who was only in Alden until he could breathe without a trach tube filed a lawsuit against the facility after the boy died. Although he had dislodged the tube several times, the boy's doctor said he was never informed about the problem. The two-year-old died less than a month after being admitted to the facility. The family's lawsuit reportedly settled out of court for $300,000.