A Downey care facility is being fined after state officials determined that the Los Angeles nursing home was negligent in its care for an elderly patient who eventually went into a diabetic coma and died. According to a news report in The Press-Telegram, the California Department of Public Health fined the Downey Rehabilitation Care Center $80,000 and issued the most severe AA citation. Officials say inadequate care led to the patient’s death in 2010. If the nursing home receives another AA citation over the next two years, it could lose its license. The nursing home has appealed the citation and fine.
Failure to Provide Adequate Care
The report states that the patient was admitted four times to the center in 2009. Her doctor had ordered blood sugar monitoring and insulin dosages. In 2010, she was readmitted with a recurrent urinary tract infection. But the admitting documents did not include medications for her diabetes or orders to monitor blood sugar levels. The woman went 29 days without blood glucose monitoring, which caused her to go into a diabetic coma. The facility has said that they did not monitor her blood sugar levels because there were no orders from her physician to do so. Health officials determined that the facility should have reviewed all of the patient’s records and notified her physician. They determined that nursing home staff should have monitored her blood sugar levels.
My heart goes out to the family members of this victim who have had to deal not only with placing a seriously ill loved one in a nursing home, but also are faced with this tragedy brought about by the facility’s negligence. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Holding Negligent Nursing Homes Accountable
Nursing homes have a duty to provide quality care to their residents. Our law firm handles a number of nursing home abuse and negligence cases involving frail, vulnerable, elderly patients who are mistreated or simply neglected. This is unacceptable! Nursing homes that put profits before their patients and cut corners by understaffing their facilities should be held accountable.
Families of victims in such cases can pursue a wrongful death claim against the nursing home seeking compensation to cover medical expenses, funeral costs, and other related damages. A family would be well advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer who will help protect their rights and hold the negligent nursing homes accountable.