In many incidents, families have no other option than to turn over providing care to a loved one to a nursing home staff to ensure they receive the highest level of services. These families must trust that the nursing staff will protect their loved one in a compassionate, safe environment. Unfortunately, mistreatment, abuse, and neglect are rampant in nursing homes throughout Illinois, including in St. Clair County.
Was your loved one abused, mistreated or injured while residing in a nursing home? If so, contact the Illinois Nursing Home Law Center attorneys. Our team of lawyers can immediately intervene to ensure your loved one is removed from the dangerous situations that are causing them harm. We fight aggressively on behalf of our clients to ensure the family receives adequate compensation to recover their financial damages. Contact us now so we can begin working on your case today.
If your loved one has been mistreated at Aperion Care Mascoutah, contact our Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys.
This nursing home is a "for profit" center providing cares and services to residents of Mascoutah and St. Clair County, Illinois. The Medicare/Medicaid-approved 55-certified bed nursing facility is located at:
901 North Tenth Street
Mascoutah, Illinois, 62258
(618) 566-2183
In addition to providing around-the-clock skilled nursing care, Aperion Care Mascoutah also offers other care options including psychiatric rehabilitation, long-term care, and short-term rehab.
The investigators working for the state of Illinois and the federal government have the legal authority to impose monetary fines and deny payment for Medicare services if the nursing home has been cited for serious violations of established regulations and rules.
Within the last three years, state investigators imposed a monetary penalty against Aperion Care Mascoutah for $8866 on November 14, 2016. Also, during the past thirty-six months, the facility received five formally filed complaints and self-reported one serious issue that all resulted in citations. Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health Nursing Home Reporting Website concerning this nursing facility.
Information on every intermediate and long-term care home in the state can be reviewed on government-owned and operated database websites including the Illinois Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov. These regulatory agencies routinely update their comprehensive list of filed complaints, opened investigations, safety concerns, incident inquiries, health violations, and dangerous hazards on facilities statewide.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two out of five stars concerning health inspections, one out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for quality measures. The St. Clair County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Aperion Care Mascoutah that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 22, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “provide supervision to prevent accidents and failed to provide progressive interventions for falls.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved two residents “reviewed for accidents and falls.” This “failure resulted in [one resident] being dropped during a transfer and sustaining a fracture.”
The investigators reviewed the cognitively intact resident’s Care Plan initiated on June 14, 2017 that showed that the resident was “at risk for falls and required assistance for transfers. The Care Plan documented she had left-sided weakness secondary to a stroke and was non-ambulatory.” The plan documented May 27, 2017, revealed that the resident “requires two [person] assist for all transfers.”
The investigators noted that just before lunchtime on December 12, 2017, a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) “was transferring [the resident] and dropped her.” The resident said that “the incident occurred about a month or two ago” and said that “she bruised her ribs.”
A review of the resident’s Nurse’s Notes dated September 27, 2017 documents that a nursing staff member was “called to assess the resident as [a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)] reported bruising to the back of [the resident’s] had.” At that time, the physician was in the house and “also assessed the resident’s hematoma to the back of the head, narrow status at her baseline, [with new orders] to send the resident to the emergency room.” It was documented that the resident had been complaining of shortness of breath saying “the girl dropped me. She did not mean to.”
The facility sent their Initial Report to the Illinois Department of Public Health regional office documenting that the resident “was sent to the hospital due to a hematoma to the back of her head. The report noted [that the resident] sustained a hematoma and rib fracture. The Hospital X-ray Report dated September 27, 2017 documents [that] she had a displaced left eighth rib.”
The facility’s Final Abuse Investigation Report shows that the resident “fell the night before last as she was being helped from her wheelchair to the recliner [stating that] she fell, and the Aide was in distress over her fall.” The resident said “she reassured the Aide that she was fine and [that] accidents happen. The report documents [that the resident] could not recall the name of the CNA.”
As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the facility Director of Nursing who confirmed that the resident “was dropped” and that the CNA “was terminated.” The Director said that even though the resident did not provide the name of the CNA who dropped her, the facility investigation determined which CNA it was an that that CNA “did not tell the nurse it occurred.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 22, 2017, a state survey team noted the nursing home's failure to “perform hand hygiene and glove changing during care to prevent the spread of infection.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved two of twelve residents “reviewed for infection control practices.”
Observations were made of two Certified Nursing Assistants providing incontinent care for a resident. One CNA cleansed the resident’s “front perineal area and placed the soiled cloth in a plastic bag.” That CNA “then removed her gloves and put on clean gloves without performing hand hygiene between glove changes.”
That CNA then cleansed the resident’s “right and left front perineal areas and with soiled gloves picked up the clean towel and dried the areas.” The CNA then “remove her gloves and put new gloves on without performing hand hygiene between changes.”
Both Certified Nursing Assistants then rolled the resident “over onto her right side.” At that time, the resident “was soiled with liquid bowel movement.” One CNA continued to clean the resident’s buttocks and rectal area while removing [her gloves and putting on] new gloves without performing hand hygiene between glove changes.
The investigators interviewed the Director of Nursing who stated, “I expect staff to perform hand hygiene between glove changes. I give each of them pocket-size hand sanitizers to carry with them. I would not expect staff to touch clean linens with soiled gloves.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated November 14, 2016, the state surveyors noted the facility's failure to “identify possible abuse, report allegations of abuse and injuries of unknown origin immediately to the Administrator and the Department.” This deficient action “delayed the initial investigations of potential abuse and allowed the alleged perpetrator of abuse to continue to have direct contact with residents after the allegation.”
The survey team said that the deficient practice “had the potential to affect all thirty-eight residents living in the facility.” As a part of the investigation, the surveyors conducted a group interview on the morning of November 2, 2016. During the interview, one resident stated that she had heard a Certified Nursing Assistant slap another resident. The resident stated that the particular Certified Nursing Assistant “is rough with residents.”
The reporting resident said that they feel sorry for the other residents who are receiving care from the CNA when that CNA “is in a bad mood.” The reporting CNA said that they had told the Administrator of the incident stating that the CNA “is very rude.”
Another incident was reported by the Director of Nursing who said that they were “in the hall on March 11, 2016” when they saw and heard a resident “yelling at another resident.” The Director said “I do not remember who it was. I did not investigate the incident.”
A Nurse’s Note dated April 11, 2016 documents that “while staff was in the room assisting a roommate, a resident stated, ‘you son of b*****, get out of here, get him out of here, that crazy son of a b****.’”
The same resident’s Nurse’s Note dated June 20, 2016 documents that the resident was “sitting in a chair [when] another resident entered the room in their wheelchair.” The first resident “became angry and began yelling and cursing loudly at the other resident” saying “if you do not get out of here, I will knock you out.” The abusive resident “continued yelling and cursing and stopped in the hall yelling and cursing.” The nursing staff “attempted to explain to the [yelling resident that the other resident “accidentally entered your room.”
The same resident’s Nurse’s Note dated July 22, 2016 documents that another resident was exiting the moderately, cognitively impaired resident’s room when the resident began shouting, “shut up, you fat stupid son of a b****.” On October 22, 2016, the resident’s Nurse’s Notes document that the resident was “arguing with a roommate.” The verbally abusive resident said, “you stupid son of a b****, you son of a b****, you need to go somewhere else.”
During an interview with the Director of Nursing, it was revealed that both the verbally abusive resident and the roommate each “have an issue with body odor. So, we have them as roommates they do not disturb other residents. They both will call each other names.”
The Director of Nursing said that “I have no abuse investigations regarding [these two residents]. I was unaware of the verbal abuse.” The Director stated, “I have no abuse investigations regarding [the roommate]” and said, “I consider abuse as hitting, sexual, verbal, extreme derogatory name-calling and the misuse of funds.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated November 14, 2016, the state survey team documented that the facility had failed to “operationalize the facility’s policy by not identifying possible abuse, [and] not reporting allegations of abuse and injuries of unknown origin immediately to the Administrator and the Department.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Prevention of Resident Abuse, Neglect, Mistreatment, or Exploitation dated November 1, 2016, that reads in part:
“The resident has a right to be free from verbal, sexual, physical, and mental abuse, corporal punishment, and involuntary seclusion.”
“It is the policy of the center to ensure that each resident is treated with dignity and care, free of abuse and neglect and to take swift and immediate action to investigate and educate alleged resident abuse and neglect.”
“Residents must not be subjected to abuse by anyone, including but not limited to: center staff, other residents, consultants, contractors, volunteers, or staff of other agency serving the resident, family member, legal guardians, friends or other individuals.”
Do you suspect that your loved one was the victim of abuse, neglect or mistreatment caregivers while a resident at Aperion Care Mascoutah? If so, contact the Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of St. Clair County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Mascoutah. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim.
Our team of attorneys has years of experience in successfully resolving financial claims for compensation against all parties who caused nursing home residents harm, injury, loss, or preventable death. We accept all nursing home cases involving personal injury, abuse, and wrongful death through a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement postpones making payments to our legal firm until after we have successfully resolved your case through a jury trial award or negotiated settlement.
We provide every client a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation on your behalf. We can provide legal representation starting today to ensure your family is adequately compensated for your damages. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld
Licensed in Illinois
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home