A family is awaiting court approval for a settlement agreement in regards to a wrongful death lawsuit against a Chicago nursing home.

Jennifer Seafield filed the suit against Warren Park Health and Living Center after the death of her mother, Jean Engstrom, on July 4, 2010. Engstrom, 51, was living at the West Rogers Park neighborhood facility at the time. The woman was found in a bathtub with the water running by staff members.  Police were called to the facility and paramedics took Engstrom to St. Francis Hospital where she later pronounced dead. The autopsy states that Engstrom died from drowning.

Seafield’s suit stated that the staff should have monitored her mother more closely as Engstrom had expressed suicidal thoughts to staff members. Otherwise, the woman would not have been able to drown herself in the facility’s tub room. If the settlement is approved by the court, the total amount of $102,500 will be paid to Seafield and her lawyers.

Nursing home negligiance can lead to bedsores, poor health conditions and death in some instances. If you or a loved one knows someone who has a family member that suffered negligence in nursing home care, call Spiros Law for professional legal representation. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

Hillcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Joliet is facing revocation of their license to operate a nursing home as well as the loss of Medicare reimbursement from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The investigation from CMS was a result of complaints about a 26-year-old male resident who sexually, physically or mentally assaulted 23 residents. This resident allegedly threatened his victims not to report his behavior or he would return with a gun. It was also found that the facility was not monitoring controlled substances in a proper manner.

Illinois Department of Public Health currently has a monitor in the facility because residents were being transferred to other facilities without regards to their preferences. Sixteen residents were transferred between March 17th and March 23^rd of 2012, 10 of whom complained to IDPH. One former resident was quoted in an IDPH report as stating they were told ”Hillcrest was closing” and that “the facility… did something very wrong and everyone had to go.”

When things go wrong at a nursing facility, residents need someone to look after their interest. If you or someone you know has a loved one in a nursing home who has been neglected or abused, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to explore your legal rights. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

Administrators for a Joliet nursing home, that has been in the center of conflict, will now be meeting with the Illinois state health department in order to determine whether or not that home will remain operating or not.

After  multiple incidents were reported, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be ending the provider agreement at the nursing home on Tuesday. After officials investigated the Hillcrest Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center and found that there were incidents of resident-to-resident sexual abuse at the nursing home.

According to a spokesperson with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the nursing home will no longer be able to receive federal funding, which in many cases results in the closure of facilities because it is too difficult to operate.

A license revocation was filed by the IDPH in April, but Hillcrest officials will have a hearing on the matter on June 5. Officials also stated that there was an issue with patients being transferred without a regard to where they wanted to go. Ten out 16 patients transferred have filed complaints.

Nursing home abuse and negligence is a serious issue that affects the ones in our lives that may not be able to speak up for themselves. Contact the Kankakee nursing home abuse lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C. today if your loved one has been a victim of abuse.

State authorities have announced that a bill has been passed that will raise the taxes that is currently levied in nursing homes in order to bring in an estimated $145 million next year.

After this money is brought in, the government health care funding will approve for that number to be matched nearly the same amount from what is collected with Medicaid.

The Governor and other nursing home executives have said that these additional funds will help to increase staffing at nursing homes, hire more state inspectors and make reforms in the troubled system. Nearly 86 percent of the $290 million will be given back to the facilities.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse, you may be able to be compensated for the pain that you suffered. Contact the Kankakee nursing home abuse lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C., by calling 815-929-9292 today.

An investigation is currently underway at an Illinois nursing home after a claim was made against a certified nursing assistant at the nursing home.

Details on the case have not been released, but it is known that a resident at the home was allegedly sexually abused in some way by the nursing staff member. This is not the first time that this particular Illinois nursing home has been under scrutiny.

They have also received complaints of molestation between residents and also questionable financial decisions made at the home. The previous administrator, who was in charge of all hiring procedures, resigned earlier this month.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse, you need experienced representation on your side.

Contact the Illinois nursing home abuse lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C. by calling 815-929-9292.

A hearing has been set for a woman who is accused of hitting a disabled man with a shoe. Aleyamma Kurien, 63, of Bourbonnais is accused of hitting the Shapiro Developmental Center resident with a shoe and has been charged with one count of criminal abuse of a disabled person in connection with the alleged April 14th altercation. 

 Kurien has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Marshall Dusenbury, Kurien’s lawyer, has requested a jury trial for his client.  The next hearing for Kurien will be held in September 2010. Kurien has worked at Shapiro in the past as a caregiver although First Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Dickenson declined to comment if Kurien was working for Shapiro at the time of the alleged incident.

Governor Pat Quinn signed a new nursing home safety reform bill on July 29, 2010 in response to a growing awareness of nursing home abuse. One of the provisions to help nursing home residents is to add more safeguards including additional nursing home inspectors. If you or a loved one has been affected by nursing home abuse, contact Spiros Law, P.C. at 815-929-9292 to discuss your legal options.

A former nursing home assistant has been jailed after being caught stealing medication from patients at a nursing home in Illinois that he was working at. He was charged with aggravated battery to an elderly person.

Video surveillance caught the man poking holes into patients in Alzheimer’s disease medication patches then licking the painkiller off of his finger in order to administer it to himself. The video surveillance was set up after the residents medication patch was turning colors.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home negligent, contact the Kankakee  nursing home abuse lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C. by calling 815-929-9292 to discuss your legal options.