Three nursing homes face fines from the Department of Public Health for lapses in care that led to patient injuries.
State inspectors fined The Summit at Plantsville $710 for improperly moving a patient. The patient, who suffers from osteoporosis and dementia, was a “fall risk,’’ requiring a two-person assist to be moved. A care plan noted that the patient should not be moved by lifting under the arms, according to the DPH report. But in May, the report says, the patient was moved by lifting under the arms and suffered an arm and neck injury.
The Hewitt Health & Rehabilitation Center in Shelton was fined $605 by the DPH for attempting to move a patient without following a doctor’s directive. The patient required the help of two workers to be moved, but one staff member attempted to move the patient, causing an injury. The DPH inspection report notes that a physician had ordered that a Hoyer lift be used to move the patient, but that directive was not included in the patient’s care plan.
A third nursing home, Regency Heights of Stamford, was fined $510 for failing to protect a patient from injury while providing care, according to the DPH. A state inspector reported that a resident fell out of bed while being cared for and suffered a laceration of the head that required staples to close, among other injuries.
Kudos to Connecticut I-Team for covering this story. What happens in Nursing Homes and how it is addressed is largely unknown. Long Term Care deserves more scrutiny because such events happen far too often. There is a bill in committee at the legislature now that would hold
owners criminally libel for abuse/neglect in Nursing Homes. SB 177. There is also a list of bills that pertain to Nursing Homes at http://nursinghomecall.blogspot.com/2012/03/legislative-rounds.html. Thanks for covering many stories that can only lead to greater awareness and improvement in the health care field.