Long Term Care Facility Repeatedly Fined for Abuse and Neglect

Written by Adam Peck Category: Elder Law January 26th, 2013 3 min read

A Louisville personal care home for people with Alzheimer’s disease has been cited for the second time in five months for endangering the lives of residents by failing to properly care for them.

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. The citation carries a possible fine of as much as $5,000.

Investigators found that a resident who was injured in an early morning fall June 12 did not receive medical attention for injuries until family members arrived that afternoon and demanded that a doctor be called, according to a copy of the citation. The 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.

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.

A spokeswoman for HCR ManorCare, the Toledo, Ohio, company that owns Arden Courts, could not be reached.

The private facility on Linn Station Road is licensed to provide personal care for 64 residents.

Under state licensing regulations, personal care homes are supposed to accept only people who can manage most daily tasks, such as eating, bathing and dressing. Staff are to provide some assistance, but residents are supposed to be able to move about on their own. Residents who need more care or supervision are supposed to be discharged to another facility, such as a nursing home, which can provide skilled medical care and assistance.

In February, the state cited Arden Courts for failing to provide proper care for seven residents who suffered repeated falls, according to the citation. Two had developed bedsores and four of them had experienced significant weight loss, the citation said.

The Feb. 13 citation said all seven residents needed more skilled care and assistance than Arden Courts is licensed to provide.

The June 22 citation again found that Arden Courts was caring for residents who needed more services than the home is licensed to provide. It said the resident who was injured in the June 12 fall required total assistance with such tasks as bathing, and another resident required extensive assistance.

The injured resident was not supposed to walk without a walker; however, she did not have a walker when staff found her on a hallway floor about 4:45 a.m., the citation said. Despite complaining of pain and stating she believed she had broken a bone, the resident wasn’t seen by a physician until after 3 p.m., the citation said.

Arden Courts has 20 days to correct the deficiencies listed in the latest citation.

Cabinet officials could not determine Friday whether Arden Courts had corrected deficiencies cited Feb. 13.
Contact Steven Peck’s Premier Legal toll free at 1-866-999-9085 to talk to an experienced nursing home neglect and abuse and long term care attorney.

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Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.