Residents’ Absences, Injuries Result In Nursing Home Fines

The state Department of Public Health has fined six nursing homes more than $1,000 each for incidents that included residents leaving the homes unattended and falls that resulted in injuries. On July 18, Danbury Health Care Center was fined $1,300 in connection with a resident who left the home in a wheelchair and was bruised on the hand. The resident, who had dementia, was found 25 feet away. DPH found that the facility’s assessments of the risk of the resident trying to leave the facility were completed without the oversight of a registered nurse. The home was also cited in connection with a resident who was found outside smoking several times despite the home’s policy that active smokers are not admitted.