State cites Lebanon care center for leaving a man at a truck stop

 Posted on October 24, 2013 in Firm News

Illinois officials take accusations of nursing home neglect very seriously. Abuse from nursing home staff is not only a violation of the public trust, but these facilities also require state licensing to provide care for residents. If and when abuse happens, it may not only reflect badly on the care center, but on the state licensing board whose job it is to oversee such facilities as well. As such, one of the potential penalties that a nursing home may face in the wake of accusations of neglect or abuse is restrictions or revocations of their state licenses.

A Lebanon care center could potentially face such charges after it was cited by the state's Department of Health after leaving a resident at a truck stop. The man was left with sitting in his wheelchair with his clothes left beside him in bags. He was later picked up by police and returned to the care center. The center now faces the possibility of having restrictions placed on their state license because of the incident.

For their part, representatives of the care center believe that they did nothing wrong. They claim that they simply conformed to the man's wishes by taking him to where he wanted to be left after he refused to submit to a mandatory background check. They claim that to allow the man to stay at the facility without the background check would have been illegal.

If and when nursing home neglect occurs, the care center may not only face potential citations and/or criminal penalties, but also civil action from the neglected resident or his or her representatives. Those needing assistance in their legal battle against a nursing home may wish to work with a personal injury attorney during this process.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times "Illinois nursing home cited for truck stop incident" Oct. 03, 2013