Nursing home deaths have remained a major concern for the public as well as authorities in Illinois and the rest of the country. Various corrective measures have been taken, but nursing home deaths are still prevalent. Sadly, many of these deaths are due to negligence on the part of the nursing home staff or some other similar reason.
According to news reports, a 98-year-old resident of a nursing home in a suburb of Chicago died recently. The day before the woman died she was admitted to a hospital for respiratory and blood pressure issues. Reports state that five other residents of the same nursing home were also admitted for similar issues. The deceased nursing home resident’s daughter said that her mother was in good health for her age; she had seen her the night before she was taken ill and she did not have any health issues.
Stemming from these disturbing incidents, the South Holland Police Department, the South Suburban Major Crimes task force, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the state police’s Medicare fraud division are investigating the case. Interestingly, all six residents were in the assisted living wing of the multi-care nursing home. Initially, it was thought that the cause of sickness was due to carbon monoxide or some other gas, but fire officials have ruled out that possibility.
Another concern that the investigators noted was that the autopsy conducted on the deceased resident did not reveal the cause of death. Therefore, a full toxicology test is being conducted on the victim and the other five nursing home residents who fell ill.
If you suspect that a family member has been a victim of nursing home neglect, you may wish to seek the assistance of an attorney. An attorney can help investigate the circumstances to determine if you have a cause of action against the nursing home.
Source: WGNTV.com, “Death of 98-year-old nursing home resident under investigation,” Marcella Raymond, Feb. 17, 2015