Nursing homes are often where loved ones go at the end of their lives. Patients in these facilities are often suffering from health conditions and complications that are irreversible. However, the decision of whether or not to attempt to resuscitate is often left to the family or the patient’s living wills. According to the Chicago Tribune, a family is suing a nursing home for failing to follow a patient’s resuscitation orders.
Kimberly Cencula entered a Highland Park nursing facility known as Warren Barr North Shore in October of 2015. At the time, she was suffering from Type-2 diabetes, COPD, end-stage renal disease, pneumonia, and several other conditions.
Despite this list of chronic and possibly fatal conditions, Cencula’s instructions were that all attempts to resuscitate her were to be made.
Despite these instructions, an employee of the facility entered Cencula’s room on the morning of March 29 at about 4:18 a.m. and discovered her to be without signs of life. Instead of contacting emergency services and beginning resuscitation attempts, the employee contacted dispatch to report the patient’s death. However, contact was not made until almost a half hour after the patient was first discovered.
The error was caught several minutes later and emergency services were called. The fire department pronounced the patient’s death at around 5:09 a.m.
In his capacity as executor of her estate, the patient’s husband, Arthur Cencula, Jr. has filed suit against the facility and the entity operating the facility. The suit alleges that while in the care of the facility Kimberly Cencula suffered a pelvic fracture during a fall and also developed a sacral ulcer.
The parent company of the nursing home and the nursing home both denied the allegations in the complaint.
Do you believe that yourself or a loved one has been the victim or neglect or abuse while staying in a nursing facility? Contact the offices of Schenk Smith. Our experienced attorneys can help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today.
