Nursing Home Neglect: Arden Courts Cited Again
A Louisville Kentucky nursing home for people with Alzheimer's disease has been cited for endangering the lives of residents by failing to properly care for them, according to published reports. Reportedly, this is second time in five months that the nursing home has been cited.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky state investigators found that a resident who was injured in an early morning fall did not receive medical attention for injuries until family members arrived in the afternoon and demanded that a doctor be called. The injured resident was taken to a hospital emergency room, where she was treated for a pelvic fracture, low blood pressure and a laceration on her elbow that required stitches, the citation said.
Arden Courts received a "Type A" citation — the most serious — on June 22 from the inspector general with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which licenses personal care homes.
Also, investigators found that Arden Courts failed to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of that resident and two others who had been injured in falls, the citation said.
"It's unfortunate that a citation of this type only carries a maximum of a $5,000 fine," said Shawn Cantley, a Louisville Kentucky nursing home neglect lawyer. "However, nursing homes who neglect their residents are subject to a civil lawsuit, which can result in significant monetary damages. When dealing with a large nursing home corporation, sometimes money is the only language they understand."
In February, the state cited Arden Courts for failing to provide proper care for seven residents who suffered repeated falls, according to the Courier Journal. Two had developed bedsores and four of them had experienced significant weight loss, according to the report. The Feb. 13 citation said all seven residents needed more skilled care and assistance than Arden Courts is licensed to provide.
"Often times injury and even death to nursing home residence results from greed," said Shawn Cantley. "Private nursing home corporations take on more residents than they are prepared to care for, or residents who need more supervised care than the nursing home is equipped to provide. The best incentive to stop this is to make them pay money, what they value the most, when they get caught for breaking the rules and someone gets hurt as a result."
