Mistreating senior citizens living in nursing homes is an unacceptable, reprehensible, and disgraceful action done by the hands of caregivers, visitors, and other patients. Many families relocate their loved one into the nursing home, believing that they will receive the highest level of care in a safe environment. Unfortunately, neglect and abuse are an all too common occurrence that leaves victims harmed, injured, or dead.If your loved one was injured while living in a Merrimack County nursing facility, contact the New Hampshire Nursing Home Law Center Attorneys now for immediate legal intervention. Let our team of abuse prevention lawyers work on your family’s behalf to ensure you are financially compensated for your monetary damages.
This Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is a "for-profit" center providing services to residents of Epsom and Merrimack County, New Hampshire. The 108-certified bed long-term care home is located at:
901 Suncook Valley Highway
Epsom, New Hampshire 03234
(603) 736-4772
Epsom Healthcare Center
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Epsom Healthcare Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes short-term and long term care.
The facility also provides comprehensive rehab services, wound care, assisted living options, medically-complex care, respiratory care, pulmonary care, IV (intervenous) care, post-stroke care, enteral nutrition, pain management, hospice, oncology care, dementia and memory care, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
Federal investigators penalize nursing facilities with monetary fines and denied payment for Medicare when the nursing home had been cited for serious violations of rules and regulations.
The nursing home received one complaint and self-reported one serious problem over the last thirty-six months that resulted in violation citations. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the State of New Hampshire Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services Website.
Call (800) 926-7565 Toll-Free for a No Obligation Consultation
The federal government and New Hampshire Department of Public Health website update comprehensive information containing historical details of all citations and violations.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of two out of five stars, including three out of five stars concerning health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and three out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined that the nursing home “failed to do assessments of residents positioned in wheelchairs when unattended and seated at tables, and to obtain orders and consents, if indicated, if the assessments identified this positioning constituted a restraint.”
The state investigators made observations on July 5, 2017, between 11:50 AM and 12:10 PM of the first-floor dining room that is closest to the nurse’s station. At that time, four residents in wheelchairs and scoot chairs were “positioned at the dining tables with the wheelchair brakes locked for safety, with no meal or activity occurring at these tables.”
One resident in a scoot chair was “positioned at the dining table with one brake in the locked position.” The investigators reviewed the resident’s Care Plan dated April 17, 2017, under falls. The documentation revealed that “[the resident] self-propelled the scoot chair on the unit.” The information indicated that the resident ambulates with the assistance of a handhold.
A second resident’s Care Plan revealed that the resident “is out of bed into a scoot chair daily [and] able to get in and out of it independently.” A review of their records indicated that the resident “transfers and ambulates with the assistance of one-two [staff members], gait belt, and a walker.”
Two Licensed Nursing Assistants confirmed that the brakes on the residents listed above were in the locked position and that three of these residents “self-propelled themselves in the chairs in the facility.” A Registered Nurse (RN) revealed that “staff probably wanted them to stay safe and locked the chairs.”
However, the investigators reviewed the facility’s policy on the Use of Physical Restraints from 2007 that reads in part:
Physical Restraints are defined as any manual method or physical or mechanical device, material, or equipment attached or adjacent to the resident’s body that the individual cannot remove easily, which restricts freedom of movement or restricts normal access to one’s body.”
[Before] placing a resident in restraints, there shall be a pre-restraining assessment to review to determine the need for the restraints. The assessment shall be used to determine possible underlying causes of the problematic medical symptoms and to determine if there are less restrictive interventions (programs, devices, referrals, etc.) that may improve the symptoms.”
Do you believe that your loved one has suffered harm through mistreatment while living at Epsom Healthcare Center? Contact the New Hampshire nursing home abuse prevention lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Merrimack County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Epsom.
Talk to our legal team today about your case through an initial, free claim consultation. We provide all our clients a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning if we cannot secure financial compensation on your behalf, you owe us nothing.
Sources:
Attorney A. Lance Reins, Esq.
Licensed in New Hampshire
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home