Heritage Health Streator
Putting a loved one in assisted living requires a lot of trust. You trust the facility to have established standards of care and policies that support those standards. You trust staff to follow those policies and always do what’s best for your family member. You trust that if anything goes wrong, supervisors will correct the situation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Although still relatively rare, abuse is a growing problem in assisted living and is terribly damaging to victims. Nursing home abuse is defined as any intentionally harmful or negligent action knowingly committed against nursing home residents. It comes in the form of physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse and can cause physical and mental harm ranging from minor to severe. It can even result in death. In fact, it is believed that seniors experiencing abuse are at a 300% higher risk of death.
This may leave you wondering if there is anything you can do to prevent abuse of a loved one in nursing home care, or if you are forced to just hope for the best. Luckily there are things you can do to minimize this risk.
Over the years, Levin & Perconti has noticed that the nursing homes with the highest Medicare ratings and fewest health inspection infractions tend to have the lowest risk of abuse. We encourage you to seek accommodations in only these facilities and aim to help you do so by sharing ratings and health inspection report information from Medicare for specific Illinois nursing homes, like Heritage Health Streator, so you can more easily find the best nursing homes in your area.
We also include tips for researching nursing homes, what to do to protect a family member once they enter assisted living, and how to report abuse in the event that it does happen. We hope you can use this information to prevent nursing home abuse from hurting your family.
About Heritage Health Streator
1525 East Main Street
Streator, IL 61364
(815) 672-4516
Heritage Health Streator has 130 beds and 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 gives Heritage Health Streator an overall rating of Average, probably from its Average health inspection and staffing ratings. It also received an Above Average quality measures rating.
Along with these ratings, you should also read the health inspection reports from medicare.org so you can see what kind of care residents enjoy–or suffer–at a facility. Below is a sample of deficiencies found at Heritage Health Streator most recently:
2/7/2019 Failure to respond appropriately to all alleged violations. The facility failed to thoroughly investigate a resident to resident allegation of sexual abuse involving two residents. A resident told a staff member that another resident had touched her on the front of her body from her shoulder to her leg. The Director of Nursing confirmed that there were no interviews or investigation for the incident and the facility Administrator was unaware that there was no investigation.
2/7/2019 Failure of timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities. The facility failed to report the above-mentioned allegations of sexual abuse to the Illinois Department of Public Health per facility policy.
2/7/2019 Failure to 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 staff completely covered hair in a sanitary manner while handling, preparing and serving food, changed gloves while serving food, and ensured cleanliness of a kitchen cooler. A staff member was observed working in the kitchen with no hair net. Another staff member was seen handling meal tickets and money before touching food items with the same gloves on. The facility’s walk-in cooler was also found to be dirty.
Protecting your loved one from nursing home neglect and abuse
Nursing home abuse is a very serious matter. Levin & Perconti understands the pain both victims and their families experience.
We believe no one should ever suffer abuse of any kind at the hands of caregivers. That is why Levin & Perconti is dedicated to educating families about how to reduce the risk of abuse in nursing homes, so they and their loved ones do not have to experience it. We encourage you to do your research when picking an elder care facility and to stay vigilant after your relative has moved in.
To find the best nursing home possible, research every nursing home in your area thoroughly. In addition to medicare.org, you can also get 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. Use your findings to identify the facilities with the best ratings and cleanest health inspection reports. They are your safest options.
Once you’ve found the most promising nursing homes, schedule tours to see them in person. During your visits, note each facility’s cleanliness, friendliness of staff, and the general atmosphere.This is also your best opportunity to ask questions about safety concerns, such as staff to resident ratios, staff qualifications, and procedures for filing complaints. Of course, if you have more questions later, don’t hesitate to call or visit again.
When you’ve finally found the best nursing home possible and moved your relative in, your work isn’t over. You should plan to visit them regularly so you can ensure they are receiving all the care they need. Studies show that nursing home residents who are isolated from family and friends are more likely to be victimized. Additionally, many elderly abuse victims struggle to recognize or report abuse themselves.
Your relative will probably need your help to recognize and report abuse if it ever happens. You should be prepared to recognize signs of abuse, such as
- 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 is uncommon, but you should still be prepared to act quickly if you ever suspect or learn of abuse of a loved one. Familiarize yourself with the facility’s procedure for filing a grievance and find out who to report abuse to, such as a staff supervisor or facility administrator. They should have the ability to correct any abusive situation that arises and prevent it from happening again.
However, if a facility fails to take your report of abuse seriously or take corrective action, you may need to seek outside help. In this case, you can go toa doctor, long-term care ombudsman, or state licensing agency.
Additionally, if your loved one has suffered personal injury or death while in the care of a nursing home, you may also consider taking legal action. If you do, you will need legal counsel from attorneys with nursing home abuse expertise, such as Levin & Perconti.
Levin & Perconti are on your side
There is no excuse for abuse in a nursing home setting. If you or a loved one have suffered at the hands of an Illinois nursing home, you have rights and deserve justice. The attorneys at Levin & Perconti have dedicated our careers to serving the victims of nursing home abuse and are ready to listen to you. If you are unsure if you have a case or don’t know where to start, click or call Levin & Perconti at 888-424-5757 for more information. We are standing by ready to 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.
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.
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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
