A nursing home in Idaho is facing a lawsuit and severe penalties following findings of neglect. Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Nampa, Idaho is one of the latest nursing homes to be hit with allegations of gross neglect of its residents. According to findings by state inspectors in 2016, residents of the home were dehydrated, left to sit in their own feces and urine, and frequently battled infections brought on by the neglect of the nursing staff.
87-year-old Jerry Carr has filed a lawsuit against Holly Lane and its parent company, Orianna Health Systems, which is based out of Bartlett, Tennessee. Carr is seeking undisclosed damages in excess of $100,000. In 2015, Carr had been living at Holly Lane for 12 years when he suffered a serious fall that required surgery and left him hospitalized for two months before he could return to Holly Lane. Upon returning to the home, Carr required constant and detailed attention from nursing staff. The lawsuit alleges many complaints of inadequate care from the facility and its employees.
Among his claims, Carr alleges that the nursing home and its employees did not change his clothes when he soiled himself, did not provide him with his prescribed pain medication, failed to keep him hydrated, and failed to take steps necessary to prevent the fall that caused his severe disabilities. As a result of the neglect, Carr contracted a MRSA infection, which to elderly adults like Carr, can be a death sentence.
In July 2016, Holly Lane was investigated by the Idaho Health and Welfare Department after receiving numerous complaints. Investigators found dehydrated patients and residents sitting in their own urine. Perhaps one of the most disturbing allegations is that Holly Lane employees removed call lights from patients’ rooms. Call lights assist nursing home residents by allowing them to alert the staff when they are in need. These calls can range from something as simple as assistance with changing clothes to something as severe as notifying a nurse when experiencing a medical emergency. Removing call lights can place residents in danger if staff members cannot timely respond to potential issues.
Holly Lane is one of only a few nursing homes in Idaho that provide ventilator-machine care. Residents on ventilator care require special attention and are extremely fragile, more so than the average nursing home residents. When state inspectors concluded their week-long visit at Holly Lane in July, they noted that many nursing home residents were in “immediate jeopardy of serious harm, impairment or death” due to violations, including a lack of sufficient around the clock staff and a failure to protect special attention residents.
After the July 2016 inspection, the nursing home was ordered to remedy all violations. In the meantime, Holly Lane was fined $2.46 million by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and was temporarily barred from taking in new residents until all problems detailed in the report were fixed. Since Holly Lane did not dispute the findings of the investigation, the fine was reduced to $1.23 million.
Orianna Health Systems owns and operates nursing homes across the United States, including three in the Memphis area. If you have a loved one who lives in a nursing home or long term care facility, it is crucial to inquire into the care your loved one is receiving and report abuse to the proper authorities, as neglect in any form can be tragic. If your loved one has been a victim of nursing home neglect, call the nursing home attorneys of Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz today.