Connecticut Nursing Homes Fined Following Lapses In Care

By: Kate Farrish

Five Connecticut nursing homes have been fined by the state Department of Public Health in connection with incidents of inadequate staffing and injuries to patients that included cuts and a broken leg.

On Oct. 29, Sheriden Woods Health Care Center of Bristol was fined $1,580 when records show a resident with a venous ulcer on a toe did not get follow-up care with a vascular surgeon in September.  A doctor’s visit had been cancelled and records show a lack of follow-up care for a few weeks until a doctor saw the wound on Sept. 26.

Aurora Senior Living of Norwalk was fined $1,280 on Oct. 31 in connection with an incident on Sept. 22 in which a resident who needed assistance to use the toilet reported he or she was told by a nurse’s aide to “do it on” him or herself. The person soiled him or herself and it was later determined that two aides had taken their break together, resulting in inadequate staffing, DPH records show.

Glendale Center of Naugatuck was fined $1,160 on Sept. 4 in connection with a July 14 incident in which a resident sustained a cut on the head after partially falling out of a mechanical lift while being transferred into a wheelchair, DPH records show.

The resident’s head struck a bed frame during the transfer, and the cut needed six staples to close it, records show. An investigation determined that aides used the wrong type of pad during the lift and that the home’s records failed to be specific on what type of lift pad should be used.  The incident prompted the home to require that three staff members lift the person, records show.

Jeanne Moore, a Glendale Center spokesperson, said the home submitted a plan of correction to the state and is in full compliance with state and federal regulations.

“Glendale Center received a deficiency in a routine annual survey conducted at our center in August that resulted in a fine,” she said. “We provided additional staff education and training on the topic of lifts and transfers.”

DPH records show that on Oct. 28, Gardner Heights Health Care of Shelton was fined $1,090 in connection with a Sept. 16 incident in which a resident sustained a cut on the leg that required 18 stitches. The resident was cut while moving from a wheelchair to a toilet when a student nurse failed to follow the plan of care and assist the person using a gait belt, DPH records show.

Cassena Care of Norwalk was fined $360 on Oct. 29 in connection with a resident who broke a shinbone in February, apparently when one nurse’s aide, instead of the required two, transferred the person from a wheelchair to a bed using a mechanical lift. The nurse’s aide reported ringing a bell for assistance during the lift, but then admitted lifting the person without waiting for help, DPH records show.

Officials from the other four nursing homes did not respond to calls seeking comment.