Errors at multiple Connecticut rehabilitation and nursing home facilities put residents at risk. The Gaylord Farms Rehabilitation Center in Wallingford failed to secure the facility’s van keys and did not take more aggressive steps to prevent a patient from leaving their facility. As a result, a patient with traumatic brain injuries was able to drive off and died in a subsequent auto accident. The Connecticut Department of Public Health noted that keys should be in a locked and secure location away from residents.
Connecticut Health of Southport, a nursing home, also put residents in peril. It was recently fined for not giving medications to a resident with pneumonia and did not take precautions to alert staff and visitors about MRSA infected patients. This facility’s infection control program was found to be based on 1983 guidelines and had not been reviewed for more than four years by the state. The company has since submitted an infection control plan to the state department of health.
In Milford, the West River Health Care Center was fined for not providing adequate care for a patient with an arm injury and another with a leg injury. Equally as concerning, the facility had an employee that made 13 debit card transactions with a patient’s debit card last year.
Rehabilitation and elder care facilities, along with other health care and long-term companies, owe their patients an adequate level of care and supervision. Staff must be trained appropriately, management must have a sufficient level of personnel to adequately monitor them around the clock, and the staff must take steps to prevent injury and harm. Facilities that put patients in peril are at risk of fines and being shut down. Also, patients and their loved ones can seek a Connecticut personal injury lawyer or Connecticut wrongful death lawyer to seek compensation for their pain and suffering.
Willful or negligent behavior by a facility’s staff should not be tolerated. Every person that seeks assistance through a nursing home or rehab center is entitled to receive adequate care and professionalism. Otherwise, a resident can sue the person or the facility that caused their injuries. Individuals and their loved ones should sufficiently research a facility before entering it to review its performance. Medicare has a nursing home comparison database for facilities nationwide to help individuals make smart decisions.
Alexandra Reed writes for Connecticut personal injury law firm, Stratton Faxon. Contact Stratton Faxon to speak with a Connecticut accident lawyer about your personal injury, wrongful death, or Connecticut malpractice case. To learn more, visit Strattonfaxon.com.
