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Heritage Health Hoopeston

With the baby boomer generation entering their later years, US nursing homes are seeing more and more residents coming to them for both short- and long-term care. These facilities can be a godsend for frail adults who struggle to live independently and their concerned families, but they also come with some risks.

Tragically, as many as 1 in 3 nursing home residents will fall victim to abuse during their time in assisted living, with this number being a conservative estimate as it is suspected that most incidents of abuse go unreported.

Many individual issues contribute to the growing rates of nursing home abuse, including overcrowding, staff shortages, unscrupulous for-profit investors, and poor government oversight. With no obvious solutions to these problems, the protection of vulnerable residents often falls to the residents themselves and their loved ones.

Still, even with the risks of nursing home abuse, most assisted living facilities do provide the medical care and assistance with daily living activities that many aging Americans need in a dignified, comfortable environment. When a senior can no longer live independently and requires care beyond their family’s capabilities, assisted living is still an excellent option. You just need to find a facility with proof of providing this care in a professional, trustworthy manner.

As nationally recognized leaders in nursing home abuse and neglect law, Levin & Perconti understands the importance of choosing a safe nursing home.

Over the years, we’ve come to conclude that nursing homes with the poorest Medicare ratings and most health inspection deficiencies are the ones most likely to foster an environment that allows abuse to occur. That’s why we seek to educate prospective residents and their loved ones on how to pick a highly rated nursing home that has been recognized by Medicare for providing responsible, high quality services.

To do this, we share information from Medicare about specific Illinois nursing homes, such as Heritage Health Hoopeston, and include tips on how to compare nursing homes in your area so you can find one you can trust.

About Heritage Health Hoopeston

423 North Dixie Highway
Hoopeston, IL 60942
(217) 283-8247

Heritage Health Hoopeston is a Medicare-certified facility with 75 beds. The location offers skilled nursing to long- and short-term residents, hospice care, respite care, and a variety of “Restore” therapies on site.

Medicare gives Heritage Health Hoopeston a good Above Average rating on medicare.gov. This rating is a combination of three separate ratings: a Below Average quality measures rating, an Above Average staffing rating, and an Above Average health inspection rating.

While these ratings alone can offer a quick glance into the level of care provided at Heritage Health Hoopeston, Levin & Perconti encourages taking a closer look and reading the facility’s most recent health inspection report as well. The deficiencies documented in health inspection reports on medicare.gov will give you further insight into the experience of living at individual nursing homes. For instance, Heritage Health Hoopeston only had one deficiency noted on its last health inspection report:

5/9/2018 Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards. The facility failed to ensure that food was protected from potential contamination. Food residue was found on a can opener, meat slicer, and mixer. Additionally, the walk in refrigerated had excessive moisture. These conditions put all 72 residents at risk for food contamination.

Picking the Best Nursing Home

Picking a nursing home facility with a proven history of high-quality care is the best way to protect yourself or a loved one from nursing home abuse. Facilities who demonstrate responsible staffing practices and good health care can usually be assumed to have an environment of attentive, compassionate, and dignified care for vulnerable residents as well as appropriate procedures for reporting and correcting any deficiencies in care.

To find such a nursing home, start by looking at the available facilities in your area. You can ask friends and acquaintances, doctors, or social workers for recommendations, or look them up online. There may also be community authorities or groups who can help you, such as your local senior and community activity center or a government program that supports senior citizens.

Once you are aware of your local facilities, research each one so you can compare them in detail. Do this by looking at the ratings and inspection reports on medicare.gov and by searching for resident reviews or news stories about each facility online. Additionally, you can try calling your local long-term care ombudsman, state health department, or state licensing agency and ask if they have information on the facilities you’re researching.

Don’t rely solely on nursing homes’ websites to inform your research. These company websites can help you learn more about the services and amenities each facility offers and give you their location and contact information, but every facility is going to advertise itself as “the best” choice and fail to mention its flaws. Rely on unbiased resources to tell you how good a facility really is at making good on its promises of being “the best.”

When you’ve narrowed down your list of prospective nursing homes to the most promising few, schedule tours with them so you and/or a trusted relative can see what they are like in person. While touring, note how the environment makes you feel, how clean the facility is, and how friendly the staff appear. It’s a good idea to bring a list of questions with you about the services you’ll need, ratios of staff to residents, staff qualifications, policies for filing complaints, and anything else that is important to you. And if you find you have more questions later, don’t hesitate to call or visit again.

Hopefully after all of this research you will be able to confidently pick a facility that meets all of your needs in a safe, comfortable environment. However, keep in mind that even the best nursing home can still have isolated cases of abuse or neglect, so don’t plan on letting your guard down completely.

When you or a family member moves into assisted living, plan to stay in close contact and have frequent visits. Residents who are isolated from loved ones are more at risk for abuse and may struggle to report abuse without outside help. Both residents and loved ones should learn to identify the signs of neglect and abuse so you can report it. There are many signs, but these are the most common:

  • 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
  • Sudden depression or confusion
  • Signs of trauma like rocking back and forth

If you or a loved one ever suspects or experiences abuse at a nursing home, take action immediately. Follow the facility’s procedures for filing a complaint and contact someone with authority such as a staff supervisor or the facility administrator. They should listen to you and take prompt action to rectify the situation and prevent it from happening again.

However, sometimes ineffective management is at the root of nursing home abuse, so if the administrator fails to take your report seriously or fix the situation, you should seek outside help from a doctor, a state agency, or your local long-term care ombudsman.

Tragically, nursing home abuse can cause serious harm, injury, and even death to vulnerable residents. If this is your experience, you should consider seeking legal counsel.

Levin & Perconti Can Help

Nursing home abuse is a serious issue and illegal under Illinois law. If you or a loved one have suffered personal injury in an Illinois nursing home, Levin & Perconti is prepared to fight for your rights. Our attorneys have the experience and knowledge you need on your side in a case like this. If you are ready to take legal action against a neglectful nursing home and win, click or call Levin & Perconti at 888-424-5757 for a free consultation and more information on how we can help you.

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 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.

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