Symphony at the Tillers

Many nursing home residents suffer physical ailments, chronic illnesses and memory difficulties, making them an easy target for abuse and neglect. And while some of these individuals may be in the need of a stay at Symphony at the Tillers for just a few weeks to rehabilitate from an illness or injury, many will continue to live out their remaining years requiring constant long-term care. The patient stories to follow were included in an Illinois Department of Public Health report filed in August of 2017 for Symphony at the Tillers. The patients noted deserved better.

• Involuntary Seclusion: Investigators found the facility failed to ensure a resident who had cognitive and memory impairment was free from mistreatment and involuntary seclusion. Officials were informed during a nursing home inspection that an LPN reported another nurse and a CNA used a shower room to place a resident in time out or restricted, involuntary seclusion for an undocumented amount of time. Other nurses found the resident sitting in a wheel chair with a gait belt around and through the back of the wheel chair. Five other care staff confirmed the incident. Residents who are intentionally left alone for long periods of time, or forcibly isolated from others, may experience further deterioration of their health.
• Sanitation Issues and Unkept Hygiene: Inspectors witnessed several Symphony at the Tillers staff failing to assist residents who required total help with personal hygiene after toileting. During one direct care event, inspectors observed a resident who had an incontinence episode of loose stool and his adult brief was saturated with stool from the front to the rear. Feces had fallen from his brief and there were feces on mobility straps as well as his socks. The staff assisted the resident to sit on the toilet and after placed him on a mechanical lift to clean him in a semi-standing position. After the care staff said they had cleaned the patient, the examiner noticed the CNAs did not cleanse the patient correctly, left feces on the patient and his leg strap, and failed to provide any catheter care. The following day, inspectors saw that the resident was wearing the same leg strap from the previous day, now covered in dried feces. When germs and bacteria spread, already vulnerable nursing home residents can be impacted in a negative way.

Nursing home residents may not be able to speak for themselves if they have been physically abused or become a victim of neglect by a nursing home employee. It is crucial for family members or staff to act immediately when observing the very first signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect.