A beleaguered nursing home operated by the Motion Picture and Television Fund was fined by the California Department of Public Health for failing to prevent a serious injury to an 87-year-old resident. The resident was injured in May of last year when, while transferring the resident with a mechanized lift, the resident slid out of the lift and fell to the floor, causing a wound so large that it revealed her cranium.
After its investigation, the DPH concluded that the nursing home failed to follow a plan of care that was designed to prevent the resident, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, from falling. The home was issued an “A” citation and a fine of $7,500.
The citation comes at a time when the nursing home operators, a charity, have decided to close down the home. Currently the home has only 54 remaining long term care residents, which remains open only after protests from current residents and their families.
Despite concerns from families that the incident may have been the result of an “atmosphere of indifference” by staff after learning that the home will be closed, its owners have assured residents that is not the case. Steve Honig, spokesman for the Fund, said the incident happened “because an employee did not follow the proper procedure. Since then, the employee has been appropriately counseled and the resident involved in the situation is doing just fine.”
Michael Connors from the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform told the Los Angeles Times that harsh citations like the one received by the home are rare, and that insufficient staffing was likely the case. This is a charge that the facility flatly denies.
Source: Los Angeles Times
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