Many families have limited options of what to do when they can no longer provide care to a loved one in need of extensive medical treatments or hygiene assistance. Some families choose to relocate their loved one into a nursing home, believing that they will receive the best care in a safe, compassionate environment. Unfortunately, mistreatment still occurs at many facilities throughout Massachusetts.If your loved one was abused or neglected while residing in a Middlesex County nursing facility, contact the Massachusetts Nursing Home Law Center attorneys now for immediate legal help. Let our team of abuse prevention lawyers work on your behalf to ensure that those responsible for causing the harm are held legally and financially accountable. We will use the law to ensure your family receives monetary compensation for your damages.
This long-term care home is a "for-profit" 123-certified bed center providing cares and services to residents of Ayer and Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
400 Groton Road
Ayer, Massachusetts 01432
(978) 772-1704
Apple Valley Center Nursing Home
In addition to providing around the clock skilled nursing care, Apple Valley Center Nursing Home offers other services. Additional focused care includes short-stay care, IV (intravenous) therapy, respite care, hospice, wound care, dementia and memory care, colostomy care, and restorative services involving physical, speech and occupational therapies.
Fined $29,432 for substandard care
The state and federal investigators have the legal authority to penalize any nursing home that has been cited for a serious violation that harmed or could have harmed in nursing home resident. Typically, these penalties include imposed monetary fines and denial of payment for Medicare services.
Within the last three years, federal investigators imposed a monetary fine against Apple Valley Center Nursing Home for $29,432 on December 05, 2016, citing substandard care.
This nursing facility self-reported a serious problem over the last three years that resulted in a violation citation. Additional documentation concerning penalties and fines can be reviewed on the State of Massachusetts Reporting Elder Abuse & Neglect Webpage.
Call (800) 926-7565 Toll-Free for a No Obligation Consultation
Your family can visit Medicare.gov and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website to obtain a complete list of all violations, citations, and deficiencies identified by investigators and surveyors.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of two out of five stars, including two out of five stars concerning health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and two out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined that the nursing home “failed to ensure that [the resident] remained free from restraints imposed for the convenience of staff. Sometime in the early morning of October 31, 2016, [a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)] restrained the resident to his/her reclining wheelchair by securing a gait belt (a belt used to assist in walking and transferring) around [the resident’s] waist and the back of the reclining wheelchair.”
The deficient practice prevented the severely, cognitively impaired resident “from getting out of the reclining wheelchair.” A Nurse Progress Note dated October 31, 2016, indicated that the resident “was found with the gait belt around him/her in the chair in the morning.”
A CNA was interviewed and stated that “she had worked 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift starting October 30, 2016 and ending on October 31, 2016.” The CNA said that the resident “was restless throughout the shift and was in his/her reclining wheelchair, and near the nurse’s station for safety.”
The CNA stated that she had asked a licensed nurse “if she could put a gait belt around the resident so he/she would not fall.” The nurse said, “do what you have to do or words to that effect.”
The CNA stated that they “forgot to remove the gait belt at the end of the shift [and] did not think of the gait belt being secured around the resident’s waist and the back of the chair as a restraint.” The survey team interviewed the nurse who “denied knowing the CNA had restrained the resident to his/her reclining wheelchair using a gait belt.”
As a part of the investigation, the resident “was unable to be interviewed due to cognitive loss.” Therefore “he/she was unable to express emotional harm from having been restrained to his/her wheelchair.
Do you suspect that your loved one is the victim of mistreatment while living at Apple Valley Center Nursing Home? Contact the Massachusetts nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Middlesex County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Ayer.
Our legal team never charges potential clients to discuss your case through an initial claim consultation. Also, we offer a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will not owe us any money unless we have received a monetary recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices concerning your compensation case will remain confidential.
Sources:
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home