In recent decades, the elderly population continues to rise significantly in the United States, placing a significant demand on the need for additional beds in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and rehabilitation centers. Unfortunately, many of the state’s senior citizens have become vulnerable and highly susceptible to abuse and neglect by caregivers and other residents. If your loved one was mistreated while residing in an Ogle County nursing facility, contact the Illinois Nursing Home Law Center attorneys immediately for legal intervention.
Our team of Chicago nursing home lawyers has successfully handled and resolve cases just like yours. Call us now so we can begin litigating your case today. Working on your behalf, we will protect your rights to ensure your family receives adequate financial compensation to recover your losses while holding those responsible for your harm legally accountable.
This Medicare/Medicaid-participating nursing facility is a "for profit" home providing services to residents of Byron and Ogle County, Illinois. The 131-certified bed long-term care center is located at:
811 West Second
Byron, Illinois, 61010
(815) 234-2511
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Generations at Neighbors also offers other services including:
The federal government and the state of Illinois have the legal authority to penalize any nursing facility that violates rules and regulations. These penalties include monetary fines and denial of payment for Medicare services. High monetary fines usually indicate extremely severe violations that harmed or could have harmed residents.
Within the last three years, Generations at Neighbors has received ten formally filed complaints and self-reported four serious issues that all resulted in citations. Additional information about fines and penalties can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health Nursing Home Reporting Website concerning this nursing facility.
Families can download statistics from Medicare.gov and Illinois Department of Public Health online sites. These web pages provide a comprehensive historical list of all filed complaints, opened investigations, safety concerns, incident inquiries, health violations, and dangerous hazards of every nursing home statewide. The information can be used to determine the level of health, and hygiene care each community long-term care facility provides its patients.
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 Ogle County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Generations at Neighbors that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 20, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “identify an area of pressure [before] it deteriorates to an unstageable pressure injury.” The nursing home also “failed to offload pressure for a resident with an unstageable pressure injury.”
The surveyors reviewed the resident’s Observation Detailed List Report and MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessment that show “she is cognitively intact, requires the extensive assist of two staff members for bed mobility, transfers, toileting, and personal hygiene.” The MDS did not show that the resident “had any pressure injuries upon admission to the facility.”
The patient’s Pressure Ulcer Care Plan initiated on August 20, 2018, revealed “Float heels to relieve pressure on the heels. On August 28, 2018, Heel protectors to bilateral heels were added to the care plan.”
A review of the Wound Care Physician Notes dated September 10, 2018, shows that the patient “had an unstageable deep tissue injury of the left heel with moderate serous exudate measuring 5.5 cm x 7.3 cm. The note shows recommendations were to offload wound, reposition per facility protocol, sponge boot.”
The investigators observed the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) on the morning of September 19, 2018 while “performing a dressing change for the pressure injury on [the resident’s] left heel. [The LPN] removed the dressing and cleaned the resident’s pressure injury [while the resident] moaned out in pain twice.” The surveyors observed a pressure ulcer on the resident’s left heel “with dark purple and red colored tissue.
The following day, the resident was observed “sitting in bed getting ready to eat breakfast [while their] left and right heels were lying flat on the bed. No boots or pillow or under her feet.” The resident said that the facility “started putting a pillow on her feet and putting the boots on her after she got the sore on her left foot.” The resident said that “her left foot causes her pain, especially when they touch it.”
The survey team observed the Assistant Director of Nursing and a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) transferring the patient “in nonskid socks from her bed to the wheelchair via a standing lift. No boots were on [the resident] in the wheelchair.”
As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the Director of Nursing who said that the resident’s left heel injury “is most likely due to pressure.” The Director said “she would hope staff would identify an area pressure [wound before] suspected deep tissue injury. Skin check should be performed by staff any time they are doing care such as putting a resident to bed, getting them dress, etc.” The Director also said that the resident’s “heel should be offloaded when in bed. Her heel should not be directly on the bed.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 20, 2018, the state investigative team documented that the facility had failed to “provide for the safety of the resident on a dementia care unit while taking their medications.” This deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one resident “reviewed for supervision.”
The state investigators reviewed the severely cognitively impaired resident’s MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessment and made observations of the resident with another patient “sitting in the table and dementia unit dining room eating breakfast. There was a medicine cup with ten pills sitting next to [the first resident]. Another resident “was observed walking into the dining room, walked past [both of the ceded resident’s] table to get to the refrigerator to get a drink.”
At that time, a fourth resident “was in her wheelchair and propelled herself around the dining room going past the table where [both residents were sitting]. The nurse was seen standing at her medication card giving medications to other residents.”
Observations were made of a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) leaving “the dining room to go administer medications to a resident in his room. The pills were still sitting next to [one of the residents who was seated].” At that time, the resident “began to take her pills a few the time [when the LPN] was no longer on the dementia unit.”
The surveyors interviewed the Assistant Director of Nursing who said that “the nurses should stay with the resident while meds are being given.” The Assistant Director also said that “this has to happen especially on the dementia unit, another resident could take the pills [by] accident.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 20, 2018, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to “provide resident care in a manner to prevent cross-contamination.” This failure by the nursing staff involved one resident “reviewed for infection control.”
The investigators found a resident’s Isolation Care Plan dated September 11, 2018. The document revealed that the patient “has a need for isolation related to an active infection disease VRE [Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus – a highly antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain] of the rectum.” The resident’s MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessment revealed that “she requires the extensive assist of one staff member for toileting and personal hygiene and she is occasionally incontinent of urine and bowel.”
A separate incident involved another resident whose MDS (Minimum Data Set) revealed she “requires the extensive assist of one staff member for toileting and personal hygiene, is occasionally incontinent of urine.” At that time, two Certified Nursing Aides were toileting and provided peri-care for the first resident. After peri-care, one CNA “took the soiled cloths used for peri-care and placed them in the isolation bin located in [that] room.” Then, the CNA “did not remove gloves used to transport the soiled cloths.”
Next, the CNA touched the handles on the resident’s “wheelchair to position her in front of the sink, then went to [the resident’s] room and moved the ‘over the bed’ table, pulled back blankets.” The CNA “then opened the cabinet door and pulled out the basin containing [the resident’s] toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash. The gloved hand that [the CNA used to transport] the soiled cloths with was touching inside of the basin.” The CNA “then walked into the bathroom and held [the resident’s] toothbrush in one gloved hand and the toothpaste in the other gloved hand.”
The CNAs then continued to provide care touching objects in the room including the call light and bed remote” before providing care to a second resident at the facility. The investigators interviewed the Director of Nursing who said “she would expect the CNAs to remove their gloves and wash their hands after handling soiled cloth. The CNA staff should wash their hands after resident care before providing care to another resident, [which is] especially important when a resident is in isolation.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 5, 2018, the surveyors noted that the nursing home at “failed to protect a resident from verbal and physical abuse.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff and Administrator applies to one resident “reviewed for abuse.” A review of the resident’s MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessment shows that the resident has “moderate, cognitive impairment” due to their medical condition.
The incident was revealed in the Investigation Summary that occurred on August 14, 2018. The documentation shows that a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) “was verbally and physically inappropriate while interacting [with a resident] on August 14, 2018 evening in the dementia care unit.”
The documents show that “according to witness statements” the CNA said to the resident ‘you gonna sit down. This is bullshit. Jesus Christ, sit down, sit your ass down.” The surveyors reviewed video surveillance that revealed that the CNA had “used physical contact to put [the resident] back in his chair.
The investigation Summary Continued Critical Information obtained during the investigation. Video surveillance revealed [that the CNA] roughly pushing the resident into the dining chair. The document concluded [that the CNA] was yelling, using a curse word, and pushed a resident into a dining chair.”
The Certified Nursing Assistant “was terminated from the facility.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 5, 2018, the investigative team noted that the nursing home had “failed to implement their abuse policy by not protecting a resident from verbal and physical abuse and by not reporting potential abuse immediately.”
As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the Restorative Supervisor/Registered Nurse who said staff member said the CNA “seemed very stressed. The staff member said that the Restorative Supervisor might want to go check on the CNA.”
The Restorative Nurse said that if they had “heard statements made by the [CNA, they would] have removed [the CNA] from resident care and reported it to the Administrator.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Abuse Prevention Program dated November 28, 2016, that reads in part:
“The facility prohibits mistreatment, neglect, exploitation, misappropriation of resident property or abuse of its residents.”
“The facility is committed to protecting our residents from abuse by anyone including, but not limited to, facility staff.”
The policy shows “reporting abuse, shall be defined as, following management of the immediate risk to the resident or residents.” Employees “are required to report any incident, allegation or suspicion of potential abuse to the Administrator immediately, or to an immediate supervisor.”
If you suspect your loved one is being abused or neglected while a resident at Generations at Neighbors, call the Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Ogle County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Byron. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim.
Our seasoned attorneys represent residents who were harmed by caregiver negligence or abuse. We have years of experience in successfully resolving recompense claims to ensure our clients receive the compensation they deserve. We accept all nursing home cases involving personal injury, abuse, and wrongful death through a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement postpones the requirement to make a payment to our network of attorneys until after we have successfully resolved your claim for compensation through a negotiated out of court settlement or jury trial award.
Our network of attorneys provides every client a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise ensures that your family will owe us nothing if we are unable to obtain compensation on your behalf. Let us begin working on your case today to ensure your family is adequately compensated for the damages that caused your harm. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld
Licensed in Illinois
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home