Biggest Nursing Home Abuse Stories of 2022

The decision to send a cherished family member to a nursing home is always hard. But you want the people you love to have the best possible care, and often a skilled nursing facility, long-term care facility, or other nursing home is the best choice. Illinois has more than 1,200 long-term care facilities serving more than 100,000 residents. Unfortunately, sometimes our loved ones are abused and neglected by the people we entrust with their care. Here are some of the biggest nursing home abuse stories of 2022:

Abuse in Upstate New York

In November of 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued The Village of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion, New York, accusing the facility of siphoning more than $18 million in government funds from Medicaid and Medicare. The theft allegedly left residents of the home languishing in “inhumane” conditions that got worse when the COVID-19 crisis hit in 2020. The lawsuit also named 12 nursing home owners and managers as defendants.

According to the New York Post, the facility’s owners purchased it in 2015, bringing it from a five-star rated facility to a one-star facility in just four months. Severe staffing shortages led to patient deaths, inadequate care, and nursing assistants performing tasks and procedures they weren’t qualified to do. Seventy-five residents died during the COVID-19 pandemic, while others were malnourished, dehydrated, and got infections from untreated bedsores. The lawsuit also claimed residents were forced to live in disgusting conditions with inadequate “levels of cleaning and hygiene supplies,” mold, dirt, insects, and broken medical devices and HVAC equipment.

Central Illinois Care Facilities Fined

In June of 2022, WCIA reported that in the 2022 Quarterly Report of the Nursing Home Violators published by the Illinois Department of Public Health, several Central Illinois nursing homes were fined for “Type A” violations. Type A violations are those with a substantial probability that death or serious mental or physical harm resulted or will result. The violations included:

• Failing to supervise a resident with known sexual behaviors to protect other residents from sexual abuse,
• Failing to prevent verbal and physical abuse of a resident,
• Failing to recognize an emergent change in a resident’s condition and failing to provide timely medical intervention and care,
• Failing to provide necessary emergency medical equipment for airway breathing for a patient, and
• Failing to provide safe supervision of residents, resulting in two falls.

Abuse and Negligence in San Diego

In April of 2022, a KPBS investigation on San Diego nursing homes revealed abuse and neglect at several regional facilities, including an El Cajon nursing home with more than 600 complaints since 2019 in a 100-bed facility. The home continues to operate despite a long record of poor care and abuse. Complaints include:

• A 90-year-old man strangled to death by his roommate with a severe psychiatric illness and a history of violence against other residents,
• When a caregiver sexually assaulted a 71-year-old woman during a diaper change, the facility waited eight days before reporting the assault,
• A resident who required strict observation while eating choked to death after she was left alone to eat her lunch only a year after another resident choked to death eating donuts,
• A certified nursing assistant slammed a resident into a wall after the resident had a bout of diarrhea,
• A resident with known and documented substance abuse problems was able to shoot himself up with heroin at the facility, and
• A quadriplegic woman was sexually assaulted by a male resident while sleeping in a chair in her room.

In April, the state moved to decertify the facility to protect them from “abuse, neglect, and exploitation.” Still, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services later rescinded the order stating that the facility was now in substantial compliance. However, records continue to show complaints at the Avocado Post Acute facility. Avocado also faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of the patient strangled by his roommate. While the man was arrested and charged with murder, the court deemed him mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Hire a Skilled Attorney to Protect Your Rights

If you or someone you love was harmed in a nursing home or other medical facility, you need an experienced Illinois attorney to protect your rights. The skilled attorneys at Cullotta Bravo Law Group have decades of experience and have won millions for their clients. Call Cullotta Bravo Law Group at 630-898-7800, or send them a message online to schedule your consultation.

Should You Share Your Car Crash on Social Media?

Today we share so much online. For many of us, social media accounts are the easiest way to keep in touch with friends and family worldwide. When we pass a milestone event in our lives, such as a birthday, anniversary, marriage, graduation, or death, it’s easy to share it online, smile at the congratulations, and feel comfort from the sympathy. Fifty-nine percent of the world’s population uses social media, with an average use of two hours and 29 minutes daily.

So, if you’re in a car accident, it can be natural to want to share it online with your friends. Many of us don’t think twice about discussing the details of an accident and posting videos or photos of the aftermath on Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat. Moreover, we’ve all seen those terrifying dashboard camera videos of serious accidents on highways and interstates worldwide. But should you share information about an accident online? This article discusses why “telling all” on Twitter might not be a good idea after an accident.

Photos and Details of Your Accident

1. What Not to Do

It’s usually best not to share details, photos, or videos of your accident online. Sharing information about the accident, your case, or your medical condition can impact the outcome of your case and the ability to negotiate a settlement.

• You can contradict yourself: Any potentially contradictory information you share can be used against you to attack your credibility and the impact of any potential damages.
• You can provide too much information about your life: Even posting selfies unrelated to your accident could harm a claim for damages.
• You don’t know who everyone is online: Insurance companies sometimes create fake profiles to follow people involved in claims or lawsuits.
• Sharing too many details: If you’re involved in a lawsuit, details about your accident should come from your attorney, not your social media accounts. You could inadvertently post the wrong thing, providing ammunition for an insurance company.
• You might look bad: Even ranting on social media may be used against you. Avoid posting while you’re angry, and never disparage another person involved in the accident or an insurance company or defendant on social media.

It’s best to stay off social media until your claim or lawsuit is resolved. But if you can’t, don’t post photos of yourself, your activities, your accident, or anything related to your accident.

2. What You Should Do

Just because you shouldn’t share photos or videos online doesn’t mean you shouldn’t document your accident, your injuries, or the scene of the accident.

• Take accident photos: You should take photos or videos of your accident if it’s safe. After ensuring that everyone involved is safe or receives the medical treatment they need, take pictures of your car’s exterior and interior, capturing any damage and the license plate number so that you can quickly identify your car. You can also take photos of any other vehicles involved, including any damage and a photo of the license plates.
• Take photos of the scene: You should also capture the entire accident scene. Walk down the road a few feet to capture all the vehicles involved. Also, look for important details to photograph, such as skid marks on the road. If any environmental issues are relevant, you may also want a video of the lighting, missing or broken traffic signs, obstacles in the roadway, or the weather.
• Take injury photos: You should also take photos of your injuries after the accident as soon as possible. Include pictures of stitches, casts, and medical treatment you may receive. It’s also a good idea to take photos again over the next few days to document bruising or additional injuries that may not appear right away.

You Need a Skilled Attorney Protecting Your Rights

Instead of posting about your crash on social media, call Cullotta Bravo Law Group. If you were injured in a car accident by someone else’s negligence, you don’t have to deal with this alone. You need an experienced attorney to protect your rights and deal with insurance companies. The skilled attorneys at Cullotta Bravo Law Group have more than 30 years of experience helping people like you and have won millions for their clients. Call Cullotta Bravo Law Group at 630-898-7800, or send them a message online to schedule your consultation.