There has never been a time in history when there have been more senior citizens entering their retirement years. The advancing age of this huge population has increased the need for additional beds in nursing homes and placed a significant demand on the number of Nurses and Nurse’s Aides required to meet their needs. Unfortunately, mistreatment still occurs, and many facilities nationwide.If your loved one was injured or died unexpectedly while living in an Albany County nursing facility, contact the New York Nursing Home Law Center Attorneys now for immediate legal assistance. Let our team of dedicated abuse prevention lawyers work on your family’s behalf to ensure you receive financial compensation to recover your monetary damages.
This long-term care home is a "non-profit" 302-certified bed center providing cares and services to residents of Albany and Albany County, New York. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
200 Washington Ave Ext
Albany, New York 12203
(518) 456-2000
Teresian House Nursing Home
In addition to providing around the clock skilled nursing care, Teresian House Nursing Home offers other services. Additional focused care includes rehabilitation and restorative services involving physical, speech, and occupational therapy.
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.
The nursing home also received one complaint and self-reported one serious problem over the last thirty-six months that resulted in violation citations. Additional documentation concerning penalties and fines can be reviewed on the New York State Nursing Home Report Website.
To ensure families are fully informed of the level of care every nursing home provides, the state of New York 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 one out of five stars, including one 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 facility did not ensure that residents were free of physical restraints.” This failure was evident for one resident. Specifically, the resident had “a lap buddy (a cushion that rests on the lap and fits snugly within the frame and around the wheelchair arms) on the resident’s wheelchair.”
The lap buddy prevents “the resident from standing [but] was not easily removed by the resident. There was no documented evidence that the lap buddy was assessed as a restraint.”
The state survey team observed the resident with their lap buddy in place “that could not be removed by the resident when requested by a Resident Care Coordinator to do so. After three requests that were responded to by the resident’s vocalization that could not be understood, the Resident Care Coordinator asked and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) if the resident could remove the lap buddy.”
The LPN responded that “the resident could remove it, but it takes her while and never on request.” A Nursing Progress Note documents that the resident “was given a wheelchair alarm belt but was ineffective in preventing her from standing up from the wheelchair.” The alarm belt was discontinued, the lap buddy was reinstated, and a wheelchair change to fit a larger lap buddy to prevent easy removal of the lap buddy.”
The survey team interviewed the Registered Nurse (RN) Unit Manager who reported that “the lap buddy was not a restraint if the resident could remove it, even if it is not easily removed.” A Device/Restraint Screen had “a checkmark next to the statement ‘prevents the resident from getting out of the chair upon request, and he/she would be capable of doing so if the device was not in place.’” The report concluded that the device in practice “is NOT a restraint.”
However, according to the facility policy, a “physical restraints is defined as a physical or mechanical device or equipment that is attached or adjacent to the resident’s body that the individual cannot easily remove, which restricts freedom of movement.”
Do you suspect that your loved one suffered injury or died prematurely while living at Teresian House Nursing Home? Contact the New York nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Albany County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Albany.
Our legal team invites you to discuss your case with us today through an initial, free claim consultation. Also, we provide a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will not owe us anything until after we have secured monetary recovery for your family. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Jennifer Wilson
Licensed in New York
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home