Do you suspect that your loved one is being neglected or abused while living in a nursing home in Obion County? If so, the Tennessee Nursing Home Law Center attorneys can provide legal options including immediate intervention. Our team of lawyers is dedicated to ensure our clients receive adequate financial compensation to recover their damages. Our years of experience and extensive comprehension of state and federal laws ensure that those responsible for causing your loved one harm are held legally accountable.
Contact us today so we can begin working on your case now. Time is of the essence. All necessary documentation and paperwork must be filed in the proper county courthouse before the Tennessee statute of limitations expires.
This Medicare/Medicaid-participating center is a 115-certified bed facility providing services to residents of Union City and Obion County, Tennessee. The "for profit" long-term care (LTC) home is located at:
1630 E Reelfoot Ave
Union City, Tennessee, 38261
(731) 885-8095
In addition to providing 24-hour skilled nursing care, Union City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center also offers:
Tennessee and federal agencies are duty-bound to monitor every nursing home and levy monetary fines or deny payments through Medicare when investigators identify serious violations of nursing home regulations and rules. In some cases, the nursing home receives multiple penalties if surveyors find severe violations that harmed or could have harmed a resident.
Within the last three years, nursing home regulators fined Union City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on one occasion on October 27, 2016, for $11,000. Over the last thirty-six months, the facility received one formally filed complaint that resulted in a citation. Additional information concerning fines and penalties can be found on the Tennessee Department of Health Nursing Home Reporting Website about this nursing facility.
The Tennessee and federal government nursing home regulatory agencies routinely update their care home database system containing the complete list of all opened investigations, safety concerns, incident inquiries, health violations, dangerous hazards, and filed complaints. This information can be found on numerous websites including Medicare.gov and the TN Department of Public Health website.
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 four out of five stars for quality measures. The Obion County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Union City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 6, 2017, the state survey team noted that the nursing home had failed to “ensure accurate nutritional assessments were completed for two of the five residents reviewed for nutritional risk.” The surveyors reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Clinical Nutritional Care Procedure dated November 28, 2017, that reads in part:
“All patients are assessed to identify possible nutritional risk. The assessment provides the information needed to develop a Nutritional Plan of Care. It is important to note the risk factors for poor nutritional status in older patients.”
“Interventions must be completed in a timely and appropriate manner. The Nutritional Status Review is completed within specific time frames to provide a thorough nutritional screening for each patient. Fourteen-day assessment, quarterly, significant change/annual.”
The investigative team reviewed a resident’s medical records and Brief Interview for Mental Status indicating that the resident had “severe, cognitive impairment, and required staff supervision for eating, and no weight loss.” The resident’s Care Plan dated October 26, 2017, noted that the resident was “at risk for weight loss related to disease process and medications.”
The investigators looked over the resident’s Nutritional Status Review dated April 13, 2017, that showed that the resident had a “weight of 143 pounds, and a height of 63 inches [with a] body mass index (BMI) of 22.9.” The resident also has “full dentures. Laboratory values were not assessed. There was no documentation that caloric, protein, or fluids needs were calculated or assessed.”
The investigators also noted that the CDC’s BMI calculation formula showing that the resident had a BMI of 22.9 was “inaccurate. The correct BMI should have been documented as 25.3.”
By December 4, 2017, the document weight of the resident was at 137 pounds, representing a weight loss of 4.2% since April 13, 2017. The document shows that the resident “had full dentures.” However, observation of the resident on December 3, 2017, revealed that the resident “had natural teeth with missing bottom teeth.”
The investigators interviewed the Certified Dietary Manager on December 6, 2017, and asked “whether [the resident] had any nutritional assessments” up until December 5, 2017.” The Manager stated, “I missed her.” The Certified Dietary Manager also confirmed that “laboratory values were not reviewed for [this resident] when she was asked about nutritional assessments.
The survey team interviewed the facility Director of Nursing and asked: “how often should a nutritional assessment be done by dietary?” The Director replied, “Quarterly.” The Director also confirmed that “other assessments should have been done” and should “also have been reassessed when she returned from the hospital.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 6, 2017, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to “ensure practices to prevent the potential spread of infection were maintained when isolation precautions were not initiated and maintained for twenty-five residents reviewed with Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) urinary tract infection.”
The nursing staff also failed when one of seven Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) nurses “failed to clean the nebulizer after breathing treatment was administered.”
The investigators reviewed a resident’s Subjective Objective Assessment Plan (SOAP) Note dated August 5, 2017, signed by a nurse practitioner that shows the results of an ESBL test. However, “the facility was unable to provide documentation that isolation precautions had been initiated or maintain for [the highly contagious resident] at the facility learn that [the resident’s] urine culture was positive for ESBL.”
The survey team interviewed the facility Director of Nursing and asked: “what should be done when the nebulizer treatment is completed?” The Director replied, it should be rinsed out, pulled apart and rinsed out, dried and put back in the bag.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 27, 2016, the state survey team documented that the nursing home had failed to “monitor and reassess pain for one of three sampled residents of thirty-six residents included in a Stage II review. The failure of the facility to assess for pain resulted in actual harm when [a resident] complained of pain and was observed to be in pain.”
The surveyors reviewed the facility policy titled: Pain Management that reads in part:
“A definition of pain: Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he says it does. It is a major symptom interfering with the person’s quality of life and general functioning.”
“Pain as the fifth vital sign was initially promoted by the American pain Society That to elevate awareness of pain treatment. Vital signs are assessed and taken seriously by healthcare professionals. We should also assess and treat pain with the same zeal [like] patients who are cognitively impaired should be assessed using Pain Assessment in the Cognitively Impaired grid.”
The investigative team reviewed a resident’s medical records that showed that the resident has a history of traumatic fracture, chronic pain, and depression.” The resident was receiving pain medication every four hours as needed for pain and had frequent pain. The resident was given medication “as needed every four hours starting on August 10, 2016.”
The resident’s Care Plan dated August 17, 2016 documents problems the resident was having including “at risk for pain related to a history of chronic pain. Goals: Will have relief from pain and discomfort. Status: Active (current) Goal of December 1, 2016. Interventions: Monitor pain, [use] pain scale, and assessment.”
The state survey team reviewed the Fall Investigation Event Note dated September 11, 2016, that showed the incident of a fall and reviewed the “factors related to the resident for possible contributing factor: Pain.”
Surveyors observed the resident in the dining room on October 24, 2017, when the resident was “sitting up in her wheelchair.” The resident “was asked how she was feeling.” The resident replied “I do not feel too good. Be glad when I can rest. I am hurting in my back.”
Approximately one hour later, the resident was observed in the Coffee Room at the corner of the 100 and 200 Halls while “sitting up in a wheelchair at the table.” The resident “complained to a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) about her back hurting.” The LPN “took the resident back to her room” saying, “I think she is sitting up in the afternoon. Her back is hurting where she broke it.” The resident “was squirming in the wheelchair at this time.”
The investigators observed the resident at numerous times after the initial two observations while sitting in her wheelchair requesting to lie down. At one point, the resident was “sitting up in her wheelchair with her chin on her chest and her eyes closed.”
The investigators interviewed a family member in the resident’s room who stated that the “only thing I do not like is that they will not let her take a nap during the day.” She “gets up in the morning and is up until it is time to go to bed. We have requested” naps, but, “they say that if they put her in bed, that she will fall. She will say she is tired and hurting.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 27, 2016, the state survey team noted that the facility had failed to “ensure neurological checks were conducted after unobserved falls per facility policy.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one of four residents “reviewed for falls.”
The investigator said that the nursing home also failed to “ensure the environment was free from accident hazards as evidenced by an unsecured chemical in one of forty-nine (Room 214) resident bathrooms. The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Fall Risk / Prevention Guidelines that reads in part:
“Unless there is evidence suggesting otherwise when a resident is found on the floor, a fall is considered to have occurred.”
“Post-Fall Management: Conduct root cause analysis.”
“Licensed nursing will complete follow-up/monitoring documentation on each shift after the fall for 72 hours.”
The surveyors reviewed the Nurses’ Events Notes that showed multiple falls occurring involving one resident on October 14, 2016, at 12:45 PM, at 9:30 PM, and on October 21, 2016 at 8:00 PM, and on October 22,2016 at 4:35 PM, and on October 23, 2016 at 5:10 PM. On multiple occasions, the resident was found lying on the floor or sitting on the floor.
The surveyors interviewed the Director of Nursing and asked “if the facility policy for neuro checks was followed.” The Director replied, “if a fall was witnessed, and the resident did and hit his/her head, no neuro checks are needed. If the resident had an unwitnessed fall, and we do not know or not sure if they hit their head, neuro checks are to be completed.” The Director confirmed that “five of the six falls were unobserved and that neuro checks should have been completed” but were not.
Do you believe your loved one has suffered serious injuries or died prematurely while a resident at Union City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. If so, contact the law offices of the Tennessee nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 today. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Obion County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Union City.
As your legal representative, our network of attorneys can provide numerous options to hold those responsible for causing loved one harm legally and financially accountable. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim. We can begin working on your case now to ensure your rights are protected.
We accept every case involving nursing home abuse, wrongful death or personal injury through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement will postpone payment of our legal services until after our lawyers have resolved your case through a negotiated settlement or jury trial award. Let our team begin working on your case today to ensure you receive adequate compensation. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Cameron Jehl
Licensed in Tennessee
Tennessee Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home