For many family members, detecting abuse and neglect in a nursing facility can be challenging at best, especially if your loved one has symptoms that mask the typical effects of mistreatment. In many cases, friends and family will mistake the natural progression of the aging process or a debilitating disease when actual abuse or neglect is occurring.
If you suspect that your loved one is the victim of mistreatment while living in a Benton County nursing facility, contact the Washington Nursing Home Law Center Attorneys now for immediate legal assistance. Our team of abuse prevention lawyers has handled cases just like yours, and we can help your family too. Call us now so we can begin working on your case today to ensure you receive financial compensation for your damages.
This nursing facility is a "for-profit" Medicare and Medicaid-participating home providing services to residents of Kennewick and Benton County, Washington. The 136-certified bed long-term care center is located at:
1508 West Seventh Avenue
Kennewick, Washington 99336
(509) 586-9185
Life Care Center of Kennewick Nursing Home
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Life Care Center of Kennewick Nursing Home offers other services. Additional focused care includes inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.
Federal and state investigators have a legal obligation to penalize any nursing home that violated a rule or regulation that harmed or could have harmed a resident. These penalties typically include imposed monetary fines or denial of payment for Medicare services. Usually, the higher the violation, the higher the fine.
Within the last thirty-six months, federal investigators imposed a $52,190 fine on April 12, 2018, against Life Care Center of Kennewick Nursing Home, citing substandard care. This nursing facility also received eighteen complaints and self-reported six serious issues over the last three years that resulted in violation citations.
Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
To ensure families are fully informed of the level of care every nursing home provides, the state of Washington and Medicare.com routinely update their long-term care home database systems with info on violations, citations, and deficiencies.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of two out of five stars, including two out of five stars concerning health inspections, four out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined that “the facility failed to conduct a thorough investigation relative to a fall [involving one resident] reviewed for falls. This failed practice resulted in the facility not determining if the incident involved staff neglect of the resident.”
The deficient practice “resulted in preventative measures not being established relative to possible consultation with nursing/rehab staff [before] transporting residents that are deemed in an unsafe position.” The surveyors reviewed a facility Investigation Report dated May 11, 2018.
The report indicated that “the resident was transported in a bariatric (extra wide), manual wheelchair in the facility van, following a dental appointment, when she slid from the wheelchair onto the floor of the van.” The resident “utilized an electric wheelchair in the facility.”
The surveyors interviewed the Maintenance Assistant staff member who revealed “he recognized the resident was in an unsafe position in her wheelchair when he went to pick her up from the dental appointment. Despite knowing she was unsafe in the wheelchair, he proceeded to lift the resident in her wheelchair per the van lift system (approximately four feet from the ground) into the van.”
Before leaving the dental office parking lot, “he called his supervisor [the Maintenance Supervisor] relative to the resident’s unsafe position.” The supervisor instructed the Maintenance Assistant “to continue with the transport, which he did without any change in the resident’s position. During the transport, [the Maintenance Assistant] turned the corner, causing the resident to slide out of her wheelchair onto the floor of the van.”
The “investigation did not evidence a re-enactment of the incident by [the maintenance Assistant and there was no statement by the Maintenance Director] despite her instructing [the Maintenance Assistant] to continue the transport without consultation with nursing/rehab staff.” It was also noted that there were “no preventative measures regarding procedures for van drivers to follow in future transports relative to safe positioning of residents.”
Do you suspect that your loved one is the victim of mistreatment while living at Life Care Center of Kennewick Nursing Home? Contact the Washington nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Benton County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Kennewick.
You will not be charged to discuss your case with our legal team during an initial, free case review. Also, we provide a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise means that you will owe us nothing until we have secured financial compensation on your behalf.
Sources:
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home