Many families have no other choice than to place a loved one in a nursing facility to ensure they receive the highest level of professional care. These families often find comfort in the knowledge that their loved ones will remain safe in a compassionate environment. Unfortunately, mistreatment is an all too common occurrence in many nursing facilities throughout Florida, where caregivers, employees, or other residents injure patients.
The Florida nursing home affiliate attorneys have represented many Polk County nursing home patients who were victimized through abuse and neglect. Our legal team of abuse prevention lawyers works on behalf of our clients to help them receive adequate financial compensation from recovering their damages. We use the law to take immediate action and hold those responsible for the harm legally accountable.
This facility is a 249-certified bed "for-profit" long-term care home providing services and cares to residents of Lakeland and Polk County, Florida. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating center is located at:
1350 Sleepy Hill Rd
Lakeland, Florida 33810
(863) 858-4402
Valencia Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Valencia Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes short-term and long term care.
The facility also provides comprehensive rehab services, wound care, pulmonary care, IV (intervenous) care, post-stroke care, enteral nutrition, pain management, hospice, oncology care, dementia and memory care, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
Fined $23,978 for substandard care
State investigators working on behalf of the federal government, along with Medicare and Medicaid, has the legal authority to impose monetary fines or deny payment for Medicare services to any nursing facility violating rules and regulations.
Within the last thirty-six months, investigators imposed three monetary penalties against Valencia Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center, citing substandard care. These penalties include a $5,938 fine on February 28, 2019, a $17,638 fine on January 05, 2018, and a $402 fine on December 15, 2016, for a total of $23,978.
This nursing home received five complaints and self-reported one serious issue over the last thirty-six months that resulted in violation citations. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the comprehensive Florida Adult Protective Services Website.
Call (800) 926-7565 Toll-Free for a No Obligation Consultation
Our attorneys obtain and review data on every Florida long-term care home from various online publically available sources, including the Department of Public Health website and Medicare.gov.
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 four out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined that the nursing home failed to ensure that ten residents “who were observed with a lap tray attached to their wheelchairs were assessed to ensure the lap tray was the most appropriate device for each resident.”
The facility’s policy titled: Restraint, Application of Physical revealed in part “the resident must be physically and cognitively able to self-release devices such as Velcro lap trays and tables, seatbelts with Velcro, or easy snap seatbelts. If the resident cannot mentally or physically self-release, the device is considered a restraint.”
In one case, a long-term resident was observed “sitting in the corner of his room, just outside the door, partially behind the privacy curtain. The room was dark, but the resident could be seen to be slumped over a lap tray that was attached to his wheelchair. The resident was leaning to the left, with his head bent over, so his chin rested on his chest. His legs were elevated by leg rests attached to the wheelchair.”
While there was a radio playing quietly, there was no other activity available for the resident’s engagement. When the surveyors attempted to speak with the resident, the resident lifted his head but allowed it to “fall back down.”
An observation made a few hours later found the resident in his room “closer to the door and facing the hall. The resident was observed to pick his head up to watch people pass by in the hall, then let it fall again. The following day, the resident “was observed sitting in the hallway outside of his room in his wheelchair with a lap tray around his wheelchair.”
His head was down and his elbows on the tray. Two hours later, the resident remained in the wheelchair with a lap tray and was attempting to scratch his foot but could not reach it.
Do you suspect that your loved one is the victim of mistreatment while living at Valencia Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center? Contact the Florida nursing home abuse prevention lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Polk County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Lakeland.
It is always free to discuss your case with our legal team. We provide a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will owe us nothing until we can secure a financial recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Blair N. Mendes, Esq.
Licensed in Florida
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home