Six Nursing Homes Fined Following Verbal Abuse, Lapses In Care

Six nursing homes have been fined by the state Department of Public Health in connection with cases of verbal abuse, a resident who was given morphine by mistake and a resident who broke a bone after jumping out of a window. On Aug. 12, Abbott Terrace Health Center in Waterbury was fined $1,300 in connection with the resident who was hospitalized with a compression fracture of the spine after making the jump, according to the DPH citation. The resident had been admitted on July 18 with pain in the feet, knees and hips from neuropathy that was described as “horrible or excruciating.” The home’s clinical record failed to reflect whether subsequent pain assessments were done or whether the prescribed painkiller, Toradol, was given, the citation states. On July 20, the resident was found outside crawling on the ground at 12:50 a.m., records show.