Heritage Health Robinson
While not common, elder abuse and neglect are nevertheless tragedies that plague some nursing homes. Of the two, neglect is more common but often the most difficult to spot and prove. It is defined as inadequate attention and care of a dependent individual. So unlike abuse, neglect can be small things like failing to clean a person’s fingernails, leaving a bedridden individual in one position too long, or overlooking signs of a decline in their health.
In nursing homes, small and large acts of negligence can cause real harm over time. Victims may suffer anything from the indignity of poor hygiene and the emotional scars of being ignored to mental distress and physical illness and injury, even death. It can be very difficult to differentiate between the effects of elder neglect and the natural consequences of aging when a person is already in a condition to need nursing home care. Most of the time family members will be hard pressed to recognize signs of neglect, much less prove it, when a senior relative was frail to begin with.
That is why it is so important to pick the right nursing home for your elderly loved one. Nursing homes are not all equal. Most operate as for-profit businesses, and there is a terrible gap in government regulations for these facilities. Therefore, each facility operates according to its own standards, some of which allow for subpar medical care and staffing practices that make neglect much more likely.
So how can families find a safe nursing home for their relatives? As nationally recognized leaders in nursing home abuse law, Levin & Perconti has observed that nursing homes with the highest Medicare ratings and cleanest health inspection records tend to have lower reports of abuse and neglect compared to those facilities with the lowest ratings and most health inspection infractions.
Our goal is to help families like yours research assisted living facilities in your area and be able to easily compare them to separate the safe ones from the struggling ones so you can pick the best possible nursing home for a loved one. To do this we share the information found on medicare.org for Illinois facilities as well as tips for protecting family members living in assisted living.
About Heritage Health Robinson
600 East Robinwood Drive
Robinson, IL 62454
(618) 544-3192
Heritage Health Robinson is a small facility with 67beds.The location offers long- and short-term skilled nursing, hospice care, respite care, and a variety of therapies including respiratory, occupational, physical, speech, and restore-to-home.
Medicare awards Heritage Health Robinson an overall rating of Above Average, despite giving it Below Average ratings in the categories of staffing and quality measures. The facility did receive a redeeming Above Average health inspection rating, however.
In addition to looking at ratings, Levin & Perconti encourages families to read recent health inspection reports published by Medicare for each nursing home too. These can reveal particular weaknesses in the care provided by a facility and give additional insight into life there. Here is a sample of deficiencies found at Heritage Health Robinson most recently:
9/13/2018 Failure to provide for the safe, appropriate administration of IV fluids for a resident when needed. The facility failed to change a resident’s PICC line dressing or monitor the circumference of the resident’s arm for over a week.
9/13/2018 Failure to provide and implement an infection prevention and control program. The facility failed to perform a tuberculosis check on employees to prevent possible spread of infection. A staff member was also observed passing out medication without washing hands between interactions with residents. Both infractions can put the entire facility at risk for spreading illness.
9/13/2018 Failure to ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube. The facility failed to properly care for and manage a gastrostomy tube for a resident. A nurse did not check to verify placement of the resident’s tube and could not get medication down it. Staff discovered that the electronic treatment administration record did not include instructions on when to flush the feeding tube and that the tube was not dated. They could not verify when the tube’s dressing was last changed.
Protecting your loved one from nursing home neglect and abuse
Nursing home abuse and neglect comes in many forms.
It’s heartbreaking when victims or their families come to us in their time of pain. While we do all we can to get them justice, it is always better if the abuse never happens at all. That is why we want you to know how to reduce the chance of nursing home abuse by picking a safe facility and remaining vigilant during your relative’s residency.
You need to gather as much information as possible before choosing a nursing home. In addition to medicare.org, you can also seek information about local nursing homes from your relative’s doctor or social worker, and your local long-term care ombudsman, state health department, or state licensing agency. Look for facilities with the best ratings and fewest infractions, and schedule tours with your top picks.
Use these tours as an opportunity to see for yourself what kind of environment each facility has and to look for anything that doesn’t seem quite right. Pay attention to the facility’s cleanliness, how friendly staff are, and the general feeling there.This is also your chance to ask questions about safety concerns such as staff to resident ratios, staff qualifications, and procedures for filing complaints.
Once you’ve selected the best nursing home possible and your relative has moved in,visit them regularly so you can monitor their well-being and watch for any signs that something is amiss. Nursing home residents who are isolated from family are more likely to be victimized, and many elderly abuse victims are unable to recognize or report abuse themselves. Your relative needs you to be observant and available for them.To be the most help, learn the signs of abuse so you know what to look for on your visits. Here are some of those signs:
- 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
Taking action against abuse
Nursing home abuse and neglect are relatively rare, but they certainly happen and must be dealt with quickly when discovered. If you ever suspect or learn of abuse of a loved one in a nursing home, take action to report it immediately.You should follow the facility’s procedure for filing a complaint and speak with a staff supervisor or facility administrator. They should know what steps to take next and have the authority to fix the situation and prevent additional harm.
Be aware, however, that sometimes poor management is at the root of nursing home abuse and neglect and reporting to facility authorities may make little difference. If a nursing home fails to correct an abusive situation or prevent further abuse, you should seek outside help from a doctor, long-term care ombudsman, or state licensing agency.
Additionally, if abuse or neglect have caused your relative real harm, injury, or death, you may need or want to take legal action. If this is the case, Levin & Perconti is here to help.
Levin & Perconti are on your side
If a loved one has suffered personal injury or death as a result of neglect at Heritage Health Robinson or another Illinois assisted living facility, Levin & Perconti is on your side. Our attorneys have the expertise and proven record of winning nursing home abuse cases that you need to win your own case. If you are ready to win the verdict or settlement you deserve, click or call Levin & Perconti at 888-424-5757 today. We are here to help you every step of the way.
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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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.
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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
