Do you believe that your loved one is being neglected, abused, or mistreated while living in a Jefferson County nursing facility? Are you concerned that the harm they experience is occurring at the hands of caregivers or other residents? Contact the Alabama nursing home affiliate attorneys now for immediate legal help.
Let our team of abuse prevention lawyers work on your family’s behalf to ensure you receive an adequate monetary recovery for your damages. We use the law to ensure that those responsible for causing the harm are held legally accountable. Let us begin working on your case today.
This long-term care center is a 69-certified bed "for-profit" home providing services to residents of Bessemer and Jefferson County, Alabama. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
4201 Bessemer Super Highway
Bessemer, Alabama 35020
(205) 428-3249
Terrace Oaks Care and Rehabilitation Center
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Terrace Oaks Care and Rehabilitation Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes short-term and long term care, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
Fined $130,864 for substandard care
The federal government and the state of Alabama routinely monitor every nursing facility to identify serious violations of established rules and regulations and levy monetary fines or deny payments through Medicare when problems are found. Typically, these violations result in penalties when investigators find severe problems that harmed or could have harmed a resident.
Within the last three years, federal investigators imposed a monetary fine against Terrace Oaks Care and Rehabilitation Center for $130,864 on September 10, 2017, citing substandard care. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the comprehensive Alabama Adult Protective Services Website.
Call (800) 926-7565 Toll-Free for a No Obligation Consultation
The federal government and Alabama 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 one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, two 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 ensure pain medication ordered for [two residents] was administered as ordered by the Physician.” One resident, assessed as having frequent pain, was ordered an extended-release pain medication to be administered “every eight hours at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM.”
However, documentation shows that the medication was not administered “as it was not available in the facility.” The resident “missed eleven doses of routine pain medication. During this time, [the resident] exhibited signs and symptoms of [medication] withdrawal, to include complaints of muscle weakness, shakiness, nervousness, the inability to sleep, and restlessness.”
In a separate case, another resident was assessed as “having occasional pain” and was prescribed an ‘as needed’ pain medication orally every six hours to treat the pain. However, the resident said that “the facility ran out of his/her pain medication one time last week for about four to five days.”
This failure was confirmed by a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), who stated that the resident had “requested pain medication once during her shift.” The LPN said that the resident “did not have any pain medication available for the administration.”
The investigator determined that these deficient practices affected both residents reviewed for pain medication and placed the resident “in Immediate Jeopardy of serious injury, harm, or death.”
On September 1, 2017, the State Survey Agency received a complaint that alleges the resident went without pain medication “for five days because a staff member forgot to reorder the medication. The complainant stated during this five-day time frame, without pain medication, [the resident] experienced a severe detox, was observed shaking, had bouts of [symptoms], and a desire to leave the facility.”
Five days later, on September 6, 2017, the State Survey Agency received another complaint alleging that the second resident “was also out of his/her pain medication.” This resident’s “pain medication was ordered to be administered every four hours.”
A review of the facility’s policy titled: Medication Administration General Guidelines indicates that the nursing staff is to administer the medication as prescribed. The document states, “if two consecutive doses of the vital medication are withheld or refused, the Physician is notified.” The nursing home failed to follow its established protocols and policies.
Was your loved one mistreated while residing at Terrace Oaks Care and Rehabilitation Center? Contact the Alabama nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Jefferson County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Bessemer.
We do not charge for case evaluations and consultations. Also, we provide a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise means we will postpone all of your payments for legal services until after we have secured a financial recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Brian Murphy
Licensed in Alabama
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home