The increasing need for more nursing home beds and the lack of competent nursing staff has caused a significant problem of understaffing that often results in neglect and mistreatment. In many cases, the family is unaware that a problem exists until their loved one has suffered severe injury, harm or died unexpectedly. If your loved one was victimized through neglect or abuse while residing in a nursing facility in Edgefield County, our nursing home neglect lawyers in South Carolina can help by providing legal representation, advice, and counsel on how to proceed to receive financial compensation and seek justice. Our team of attorneys has expertise in resolving monetary recovery claims just like yours.
If your loved one has been mistreated at The Ridge Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, contact our South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyers.
This Nursing Facility is a "for-profit" Home providing services to residents of Edgefield and Edgefield County, South Carolina. The 120-certified bed Long-Term Care Center is located at:
226 Wa Reel Drive
Edgefield, SC 29824
(803) 637-5312
In addition to providing around-the-clock skilled nursing care, the facility also offers:
The federal government has 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, investigators fined The Ridge Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center $147,964 on May 10, 2017. Additional documentation about penalties and fines can be found on the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Website concerning this nursing facility.
Detailed information on each long-term care facility in the state can be obtained on government-run websites including the South Carolina Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov. These regulatory agencies routinely update their list of dangerous hazards, safety concerns, health violations, incident inquiries, opened investigations, and filed complaints on nursing homes statewide.
According to Medicare, the facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for quality measures. The Edgefield County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have viewed severe safety concerns, deficiencies and violations at The Ridge Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center that includes:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 10, 2017, a notation was made by a state surveyor concerning the nursing home's failure to "protect residents from abuse by a staff member." The deficient practice involved one resident at the facility who "was abused by a staff member when the resident's wheelchair was pushed and hit a wall." Documentation revealed that a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) "pushed the chair that the resident was sitting in down the hallway and let go. The chair was moving at a quick rate of speed, and it hit the wall."
The state investigator reviewed the resident's Significant Change MDS (Minimum Data Set) that revealed the resident was "totally dependent on transfers, dressing, hygiene and bed mobility with no behaviors coded as occurring during the assessment." The resident's Care Plan revealed "alteration behavior due to dementia with behavioral disturbances was identified as a problem. Interventions and approaches to this problem area were documented in the Care Plan and included to maintain a calm, unhurried environment."
The state investigator interviewed a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) who "documented [their] facility-attain statement. The interview indicated [the LPN told the CNA to take the resident to a different CNA], the resident's nurse." The CNA then began pushing the resident "and let the wheelchair go." The resident "grabbed the wheel and the chair spun around to the right and hit the wall." The resident "appeared very scared of what happened." A different LPN reported in their facility-obtain statement that they were "at the medication cart when [the allegedly abusive CNA] pushed the resident down the hall, and [the resident's] wheelchair spun around and hit the wall." The allegedly abusive CNA "walked away and the resident said, 'Help me.'"
The investigator interviewed the Director of Nurses who said that they "received a call about the incident, thinks it was in the evening." The Director was told that the CNA "had got mad because the resident said something inappropriate and [the CNA] pushed the resident into the wall." The CNA said "Y'all need to take [the resident] to a nurse, and two trainees were passing medications. The nurse who [the CNA] then responded, "Can you take [the resident] to the nurse's station to [their] nurse." The investigator reviewed the facility's Abuse Prevention Program Policy that reads in part:
"Physical abuse of the resident is prohibited."
The investigator stated that the policy indicated "staff receives orientation and ongoing training on appropriate interventions to deal with the aggressive or catastrophic reactions of residents, how to recognize signs of burnout, frustration, and stress that may lead to abuse."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 10, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "provide medically-related social services to maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being of each resident." The deficient practice by the nursing staff affected one resident who "was noted to have behaviors of hitting other residents. The social worker did not document all of the incident and the social interventions for the resident. The social worker did not follow up with [the resident after they were hitting another resident]. The social worker failed to ensure that [the injured resident] was seen by psychology per the resident's physician's orders."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 10, 2017, a state investigator documented the nursing home's failure to "ensure appropriate treatment for [one resident] observed for enteral feeding and [three residents] observed with behaviors in receiving medication." One incident involving a deficiency practice by the nursing staff concerning a resident's "gastric tube medication administration" where the "nurse failed to follow established procedures to aspirate stomach content [before] installation of the prescribed medication. In addition, the staff failed to always follow the physician's orders."
The state investigator documented the facility "failed to honor resident's rights regarding refusal medication for [three residents] reviewed for behaviors. It was reported by a staff member that [three residents] were administered medications they had refused."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 10, 2017, a notation was made by a state investigator concerning the facility's failure to "provide aggressive treatment for [one resident] reviewed for pressure sores." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident who "was admitted with pressure sores, did not have pressure sores assessed or orders for treatment." The incident concerned a resident with a catheter required for urinary elimination and who was "non-ambulatory" and requires "total assist with locomotion and bathing."
The nursing staff coded the resident as being "frequently incontinent of bowels and weighing 157 pounds" with "unhealed pressure sores [including] three Stage II pressure sores and two unstageable slough/eschar [sores], present on admission [measuring] 3.0 cm x 3.0 cm with eschar pressure ulcer care." Other documentation revealed the resident had a "pressure reducing device for chair and bed [along with] pressure ulcer care and surgical wound care." However, the investigator reviewed the resident's wound reports that revealed that "there was no assessment of the pressure sores until November 3, 2017." The investigator interviewed the facility Director of Nurses who "confirmed the resident did not have admission orders" to guide the nursing staff on how to treat the resident's sores.
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 10, 2017, a state surveyor noted the nursing home's failure to "ensure residents with mental disorders received appropriate treatment and services to correct the assessed problem or to attain the highest practical mental and psychosocial well-being." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident who "was noted to have several incidents of hitting other residents while on 1:1 observation. The facility failed to ensure the resident was evaluated by the psychiatrist per the physician's order."
Information revealed the resident "had numerous behaviors including the refusal of medication, verbal, mental and physical abuse of roommates. The resident had repeated hospital transfers for behaviors with repeated returns to the facility exhibiting the same behavior." A five-day follow-up report dated February 16, 2017, revealed that the resident approached the second resident "in the hall and hit [the second resident] on the shoulder. After completion of the investigation, the facility substantiated the event did occur." The resident "was placed on 1:1 staff observation in the Care Plan was reviewed and updated."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 21, 2016, a notation was made by the state investigator documenting the nursing home's failure to "comprehensively assess and identify a lap tray as a restraint or to document summary information supporting the clinical decision for its use. In addition, [the nursing staff] failed to conduct an ongoing assessment for continued use of a lap tray and updated Care Plan with any plans for [the resident] reviewed for restraints."
The state investigator reviewed the resident's Care Plan dated July 19, 2016, that revealed the resident was at risk for falls. A notation in the document also revealed "restraint use, and entrapment was identified as a problem; interventions included: skid proof shoes, one half side rails up as enabler, wheelchair and bed alarm, may have half lap tray to right side for positioning of trunk and right upper extremity support while up in the wheelchair." The notation said that the resident was "able to lift up and put down [a lap tray)." However, a review of the resident's comprehensive MDS (Minimum Data Set) dated February 9, 2016, and the resident's Quarterly MDS did not code the resident "as having a restraint."
As a part of the investigation, the state investigator team interviewed a Registered Nurse (RN) who verified that the "resident was not able to remove/lift their one-half lap tray upon request." The RN also "confirmed the one-half lap tray would be a restraint for the resident and further confirmed that there was no order for the half lap tray. In addition, the RN confirmed the Device Evaluation indicated the one-half lap tray was not assessed and that the Care Plan dated January 19, 2011, which indicated the resident was able to remove the lap tray, had not been revised to reflect [that] the resident was no longer able to remove the device upon request."
If you suspect your loved one is being abused or neglected while a resident at The Ridge Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, call the South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Edgefield County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Edgefield. Our team of skilled elder injury attorneys can assist your family and successfully resolve your claim for financial recompense against all parties including the facility, doctors, nurses, and staff members that caused your loved one's harm. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim. Let us fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected.
We accept every case concerning wrongful death, nursing home abuse, and personal injury through contingency fee arrangements. This agreement postpones making upfront payments for our legal services until after we have successfully resolved your compensation claim through a negotiated settlement or jury trial award. We provide each client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation for your damages. Let our attorneys begin working on your behalf today to ensure your family receives adequate compensation from those who caused your harm. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Nathan Hughey
Licensed in South Carolina
Edgefield Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home