The Illinois Department of Public Health and the Campaign-Urban a Public Health District have found numerous violations in the Campaign County Nursing Home, The News-Gazette has reported. Violations mainly involved the kitchen and meals provided to residents. Violations included an unsanitary kitchen, a refrigerator that did not cool food safely and a lack of nutritional food for residents.
Specifically, state investigators found that:
- One patient lost 8 percent of his body weight and that the nursing home was not providing him with nutritional shakes
- During a lunch inspection, over 20 patients received only half of their lunch meals
- There was plastic in pureed meat, and one nurse found plastic in a resident’s mouth
- There was cardboard in pureed food
- A malfunctioning water heater did not heat up the dishwasher to 180 degrees, as required
All of this was in addition to an overall state of dissaray, the state found. Debris, soiled and dusty utensils, appliances and counter tops were all found in the kitchen.
It is a difficult job to take care of a nursing home patient. However, besides shelter and medical attention, providing proper nutrition is one of the basic needs of a nursing home resident, and often a primary reason that the individual is in a home to begin with. The failure to provide this is negligent on the part of the nursing home.
Nursing home abuse and neglect is an all-too real possibility in Illinois nursing homes. If you suspect a loved one has been abused or is being neglected, contact an experienced Illinois nursing home abuse attorney to discuss legal remedies.
Source: The News-Gazette, “Violations found at nursing home”, Tom Kacich, July 20, 2013.