A South Windsor nursing home faces an $865 fine from the state Department of Public Health for several lapses in patient care, including failing to properly address significant weight loss in two residents and failing to act on a complaint that a resident had been hit by a nurse’s aide.
The state cited the South Windsor Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Center in November, after an inspection revealed that the facility had not acted on complaints that an aide had struck a patient in the head. The inspection also found that the nursing home had not properly notified physicians about two residents who had significant fluctuations in weight.
Three other nursing homes also face fines after recent state inspections. Among them is Edgehill Health Center in Stamford, which was cited in November for failing to take proper steps to prevent injury to a resident who had dementia and who was combative with staff trying to provide care. During such encounters, the resident suffered a laceration on the hand, a bruise on the leg and a broken finger, the inspection report says. In one incident, the resident had struck out at a nurse and missed, hitting the side rail of the bed and sustaining a skin tear on the arm.
“Although nurse’s notes indicated that the resident was combative with staff and sustained skin injuries, she was unable to provide documentation that any interventions were initiated to prevent further injuries,” the report says. The nursing home faces a $545 fine.
In another case, the Bayview Health Care Center in Waterford faces a $270 fine for failing to provide residents with ID bracelets or other visible forms of identification. An inspection in October found several patients lacking such identification.
Also in October, an inspection of St. Joseph’s Manor in Trumbull cited the facility for failing to provide a safe environment for residents at risk of leaving the home without permission. In August, two residents with dementia were found at a restaurant three-quarters of a mile from St. Joseph’s, after they left the home through a broken door that had been left propped open. The two were gone at least 30 minutes before the staff realized that they were missing, the state inspection report says. The home was fined $285.
I can’t believe the small fines levied against these nursing homes for actions threatening the health and safety of their residents. These fines are so small they would be laughable if the potential consequences were not so tragic.