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My mother has had a really rough last 3 months.She has had 2 strokes leaving her with extreme right side weakness.The last stroke was 6 weeks ago during the time my father was on hospice following a dx of stage 4 lung cancer.She was placed in rehab after discharge where she experienced several falls.She was transferred back to the hospital after being found unresponsive in her w/c in her room,CTs did not show any further stroke,however after this episode she has been pretty confused.She was moved back to the rehab after being discharged,spent a few days at the rehab and took another fall and was sent back to the hospital where she was treated for double pneumonia and had a PICC line placed for IV antibiotics and sent back to the rehab where she was placed in a room halfway down the hall from the nurses station.I had called the rehab and talked with the nurse and told her about the confusion nd her trying to get up while in the hospital and my brother spoke with them face to face.She had not been there 2 hours until we were receiving a call telling us that she was found on the floor in her room after slipping out of her wc. The nurse stated that they had pushed her in there after lunch(WHAT!! by herself).They then did nothing to prevent another fall in my eyes.She remained in the same room,they have no alarm system to alert staff to a pt. attempting to get up(magnetic alarm would be good). We have ordered one ourselves in an attempt to keep her safe,the staff have been told countless times to call us if they need us for anything including sitting with her.They have not once called us to come sit with her and they generally do not allow family to stay so we would not know unless they called.I said all this to say this that vey same day at 11:26 pm the nurse called me to let me know that my mom had been found in the bathroom on the floor of the shower.She had scrapes and bruises and could not lift her right arm.A xray the next morning showed she had fractured her right shoulder.So what are ya'lls opinion about possible liability on their part?

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When I read that the facility limits visiting time that to me was a red flag as well. Most facilities have an open door policy where family can come and go at will, 24/7.
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As sad as it is lets face it "Rehab is big business" Lots of money to be made in that field. Keeping the overhead down, top nursing care, in house Doctors, cheap or inferior drugs seems to be the name of the game. On an average I spend 10 to 12 hours with my wife each day to support her and over see her care. I have learned to trust no one.
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I had the same problem in MD. My wife had a major stroke affecting left side of her body. In short she went from hospital to rehab. During her stay in rehab I got 3 phone calls in the middle of the night telling me she had fallen out of bed. Questioning my wife she told me "I had to go to the bathroom" and that was way she fell. I asked way they didn't keep her bed rails up to keep her from falling. I was told they had to keep one side down that it was the law. Keeping all the rails up is caging a person. After she got out of the rehab I made a decision never to send her again to a rehab again. As time went on my wife had many more hospital / rehab events happen. I told the social worker at the hospital I would not agree if were sending her to the same rehab unit she was first in. Another rehab unit was selected and her care was %100 improvement. Soft rubber mats were put around her bed just in case she fell. There were items added that keep her from rolling out of bed. Depending on my wife's status they would keep her out of the wheelchair and put her in a lounge chair with wheels. It changed her center of gravity and little chance of falling. Right now my wife is back in rehab again after a 4 week stay in the hospital. I agreed to the rehab she is now because of the better care she had gotten in the past. So far I have not been disappointed in her care. In closing I will say not all rehabs are the same. Some are good and some are bad.
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A different view that you may wish to consider is how my experience is going.
My FIL is very determined. They have alarms on him, his seat, his bathroom door, motion detectors on the floor and so on. He continues to try to do things himself, because he forgets that he cannot do them on his own. The alarms are a warning, a preventative, but they don't stop anything from happening. The staff where my FIL is so apologetic, but, we understand that UNLESS THEY CAN STRAP HIM IN -- he is going to continue to try and continue to fall. And it is against the law to restrain him in a wheelchair. The staff is wonderful and we understand that it is not their negligence, it is just the way it is. Determined and forgetful make a bad combination. Good Luck!
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I recently filed a complaint with The Dept. of Public Health in my state due to similar circumstances. The facility was faulted and were "reprimanded". Whatever that means.... I took her home and I kept her home. She passed on 8/18. I am so glad that I took her out of there when I did and let her go with dignity and in the safety of my home. I realize this is not an option for everyone and was a drain financially and emotionally. She is at peace now.
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Forget about lawyers! My advice would be to remove your mother from this facility as soon as possible. As a nurse, she obviously is not being watched and cared for with her limitations in mind. I find it odd the staff doesn't want you to stay and watch her. There is nothing that should preclude you from staying unless they don't want you to see them not doing their jobs. I have worked at several facilities where staff didn't really care about their patients and as with everything else you need to investigate what goes on in this facility. But, your immediate concern should be for your mother's welfare. Any fractured limb has to be documented in nurse's notes, but it will come down to either not knowing what actually happened to no one wanting to accept blame. She should have at least been wearing a safety belt due to her being able to slide out of her wheelchair. Then she would not have been able to get out, slip and fall. I would file a complaint with the nursing board and state licensing board about this facility. I hope you can find another placement or you take her home with you. Best wishes.
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Dear husband give hug,

That was exactly my point...rehabs are definitely not all the same...some care...some don't...and the only way to know the difference is through bitter or pleasant experience...depending on the place.
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I cared for my Grandmother when she was ill. She had to be in the hospital for a very short time and I stayed with her except one night. You guessed it she fell that night. When the hospital called I asked if she was looking for me, the response was "she is always looking for you". I never left her again. She told the Dr I want to go home, my lassie(that was me) will take care of me. I did, and I will always be thankful I was able to. If you have to place your Mom again find a place with a better track record.
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How I can empathize with your situation, nanaof2! There's a lot of good advice here; ferris1 suggested that you file a complaint w/your state's licensing board & that is GREAT advice. In Illinois there is a state Ombudsperson who handles elder care nursing home complaints; I believe most states are required to have one. I found mine by Googling "Elder Care Ombudsperson for State of IL" and it came right up. Try it! Our Ombudsperson is wonderful. He is helping my family untangle all the glitches involved w/Medicaid and has been there every step of the way for us. I can't urge you enough to look into this!!
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I've worked in rehab facilities, so I tend to sympathize with them. They are not allowed to restrain the patient and can't be there with them constantly. You are horrified that she was in her room by herself, but you are not paying for a private nurse, so I'm not sure what you expect them to do. I'm having the same issue at home with my Dad. He doesn't use the walker or the wheelchair on his own. I have to insist that he use them when I'm there, but I sleep and take showers. I'm not in the same room with him 24/7. I have a magnetic alarm on the front door, but he's too wild a sleeper to make an alarm on his clothing a workable solution. He falls sometimes, but never has more than a scraped knee or elbow. Maybe I have too casual an attitude, but I have to balance my abilities with his inabilities and realize that he will not live forever no matter what I do. If you need proof of that statement, try to imagine caring for your mother in your home for a week.
On the other hand, I agree with those who think you can do better as far as this rehab facility. You need 24 hour access to your Mother and that should be encouraged by any facility.
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