Heritage Health Carlinville
Despite what media headlines about nursing home abuse might imply, elder abuse in these facilities is relatively uncommon. In fact, most elder abuse occurs at home and is perpetrated by friends and family members. However, that doesn’t mean you should rest easy about putting your elderly loved one in assisted living. It is believed that 1 in 3 nursing home residents will suffer some form of abuse during their residency. It just usually isn’t as sensational as what news headlines report on.
The most common form of abuse in nursing homes is neglect. This occurs when the staff fails to provide all aspects of necessary care to every resident. Most nursing home residents are unable to care for themselves–that’s why they’re in a nursing home after all–so when professional caregivers aren’t meeting their daily needs, they face dangerous illness, injury, and even death.
Most nursing home employees don’t intend to neglect vulnerable seniors, but often they are overworked or underqualified. Nursing home owners are notorious for hiring as few staff as possible or hiring untrained staff whom they can pay a lower wage. This creates dangerous gaps in the services provided to residents, many of whom require daily medical attention. Under these conditions, it’s all too easy for mistakes to be made, signs of decline to go overlooked, or for accidents to happen.
While we believe care facilities should do more to hire adequate staffing, Levin & Perconti also believes in educating families like yours about how to protect your senior family members from nursing home neglect and abuse. It begins with understanding how to pick a highly-rated, Medicare-certified facility that maintains high standards of care and safety for residents.
About Heritage Health Carlinville
1200 University Ave.
Carlinville, IL 62626
(217) 854-4433
Heritage Health Carlinville is a long-term care facility featuring 95 certified beds in a home-like setting.
Medicare gives Heritage Health Carlinville the lowest possible overall rating of Much Below Average. This is due to its Below Average quality measures and staffing ratings and Much Below Average health inspection rating.
While ratings are an excellent start for understanding the standards of care provided at a facility, we also recommend studying health inspection documents shared publicly by Medicare. These reports list the most recent deficiencies found at individual facilities. Below is a sample of what was found at Heritage Health Carlinville:
6/29/18 Failure to provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections. A staff member failed to change gloves while providing catheter and incontinence care to a resident, putting the resident at risk of infection.
6/29/18 Ensure that each resident is free from the use of physical restraints unless needed for medical treatment. The facility failed to assess and re-evaluate the use of a bolstered mattress and side rails as a restraint and entrapment risk for a resident. There was no documentation that the position the side rails were found in was correct.
6/29/18 Failure to try different approaches before using a bed rail. If a bed rail is needed, the facility must (1) assess a resident for safety risk; (2) review these risks and benefits with the resident/representative; (3) get informed consent; and (4) Correctly install and
maintain the bed rail. The facility failed to assess the risk of entrapment for one resident using bed rails, putting the resident at risk for injury.
Protecting Nursing Home Residents from Neglect
While few nursing home staff purposely harm residents, neglect is still rampant in understaffed facilities where employees do not have adequate time or training to meet every resident’s personal needs. This creates a dangerous environment for vulnerable seniors who cannot fend for themselves. Fortunately, there are steps family members can take to reduce the risk and consequences of neglect.
First, thoroughly research Medicare ratings and other pertinent information about local nursing homes before picking one. Look for proof of high performance, and tour promising facilities to confirm the quality of care offered at each. Ask questions on your tours about staff qualifications, ratios of staff members to residents, and how they handle reports of abuse.
When you’ve selected the ideal residence for your family member, it’s still up to you to monitor if their care meets your expectations. Visit frequently so you can observe how they are treated and so they can communicate any needs that are not being met.
Unfortunately, many nursing home residents are incapable of recognizing or reporting abuse themselves and must rely on diligent friends and family to notice if something is off. This means you will need to educate yourself on signs of abuse. There are many such signs, but here are some of the most common ones to start with:
- Untreated severe bedsores
- Unexplained injuries like bruises, burns, or scars
- Evidence of poor circulation like sunken cheeks or eyes
- Weight loss or malnourishment not due directly to an illness
- Frequent trips to the emergency room or doctor
- Wrong type or the wrong amount of medication administered
- Poor hygiene or unwashed clothes or hair
- Instances of wandering or elopement
- Frequently misplaced or lost personal items
- A lack of basic necessities, including utilities, water, and food
- A dirty room or bathroom
- Frequent trouble sleeping
- Unusual violent or withdrawn behavior
If you believe your relative has been subject to abuse at their nursing home, document your experiences to have all of the details on hand and report it immediately to facility management.
They should take your concerns seriously and work quickly to correct the situation and prevent further harm. However, if they dismiss your claims, react defensively or incredulously, or fail to take any corrective action, you may need to resort to legal action.
Levin & Perconti Can Help
Levin & Perconti understands the confusion and pain surrounding nursing home abuse.
If you or your loved one has suffered abuse and neglect at Heritage Health Carlinville or another Illinois nursing home, you do have rights, and Levin & Perconti will help you fight for them. Our attorneys have the experience and expertise to win the settlement or verdict you’re looking for like we have with other clients in the same situation. If you’re ready to get help with your case, click or call Levin & Perconti at 888-424-5757 any time for a free consultation and more information.
Disclaimer: The above health inspection findings are taken from public records kept and published by Medicare and the state of Illinois and are not complete. Levin & Perconti cannot confirm that this page’s content includes the latest information available. Any corrections or additions made to these public records after the publication of this page will not be found here. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.il.gov or medicare.gov. This page is a legal advertisement and informational resource for visitors and is not endorsed by the named facility or any government agency. Levin & Perconti does not have any affiliation with the named facility.
Testimonials
Not only were they so professional but also so caring and thoughtful. It was very difficult going over the facts in our mother's case but they were so compassionate and understanding and allowed us to be with them every step of the way. We were able to sit in on the depositions and we were really able to see how hard they worked on our behalf.
Contact Us
- Free Consultation
- (312) 332-2872
Notable Results
VERDICT
on behalf of an 85-year-old woman injured in a nursing home when her medications were mismanaged.
VERDICT
for the estate of a 67-year-old man who died from complications related to a fall
SETTLEMENT
for a 59-year-old resident who developed multiple painful and infected bedsores which took four years to heal.
Heritage Health Facilities
- Heritage Health Beardstown
- Heritage Health Bloomington
- Heritage Health Carlinville
- Heritage Health Chillicothe
- Heritage Health Dwight
- Heritage Health El Paso
- Heritage Health Elgin
- Heritage Health Gibson City
- Heritage Health Gillespie
- Heritage Health Hoopeston
- Heritage Health Jacksonville
- Heritage Health Litchfield
- Heritage Health Mendota
- Heritage Health Minonk
- Heritage Health Mount Sterling
- Heritage Health Mount Zion
- Heritage Health Normal
- Heritage Health Pana
- Heritage Health Peru
- Heritage Health Robinson
- Heritage Health Springfield
- Heritage Health Staunton
- Heritage Health Streator
- Heritage Health Walnut
- Heritage Square
Our Office
325 N LaSalle Dr Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60654
312-332-2872
