Bloomfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation was fined $3,000 for four incidents, spanning from 2015 to this year.
On Oct. 8, 2016, a registered nurse found a resident unresponsive with no pulse. According to DPH, the RN did not do a full assessment or begin CPR. Staff should have started CPR and continued it until emergency medical technicians arrived, the citation said. EMTs transported the resident to a hospital where cardiac activity resumed.
On Dec. 18, 2016, a resident broke a thighbone falling out of bed while receiving care from a nurse’s aide. The resident was treated at a hospital and the aide was educated about moving residents safely, the citation said.
Another resident suffered three pressure wounds earlier this year. The resident wore a right knee brace and developed pressure ulcers on the right thigh, upper shin and calf, according to DPH. One wound required surgery to remove damaged tissue. An investigation found staff didn’t follow physician’s orders on checking the brace.
On Dec. 25, 2015, a resident fell and suffered a broken neck while being transferred from a shower chair to a wheelchair. A nurse’s aide tried to move the resident, who required two-person assistance, without help, and documentation failed to show wheel locks were used on the wheelchair, the citation said. The resident was treated at a hospital.
Bloomfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation officials did not return a call seeking comment.
Autumn Lake Healthcare at Norwalk was fined $1,940 for two incidents.
A resident who broke a femur while using the bathroom on Dec. 24, 2016, needed a hip replacement. According to DPH, a nurse’s aide left the resident unattended in a wheelchair while going to help another resident. The resident was supposed to have chair and bed alarms, but the chair alarm was not in use, DPH found.
Another resident fell on two consecutive days while being transported in a wheelchair. The resident first fell on Oct. 3, 2016, and complained of wrist pain. The resident fell out of a wheelchair the next day while being taken to an orthopedics appointment. An investigation found foot rests and other safety measures were not used as required. The resident was treated at a hospital for a broken wrist.
Autumn Lake officials did not return a call seeking comment.
Regalcare at Greenwich was fined $1,830 for several violations.
A resident fell six times in a two-week span, according to DPH. The resident, who had a broken shoulder and schizoaffective disorder, first fell Oct. 17, 2016, and the resident’s care plan then was updated to include the use of a chair/bed alarm. But the resident fell five more times that month, including three times on Oct. 22. After being found on the floor on Oct. 31, the resident was taken to a hospital and had surgery for a displaced kneecap, according to the citation.
Another resident suffered broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and lacerations requiring 11 stitches after falling on March 17 in a bathroom. According to DPH, a nurse’s aide helped the resident, who was at a high risk for falls, onto a toilet but then left the room to get a pull-up pad. The resident was treated at a hospital.
Also, DPH found that staff did not properly document and investigate when a resident left the facility for more than two hours on Jan. 3. The resident could leave the facility when signed out by staff but did not sign out on this occasion.
Regalcare officials did not return a call seeking comment.
Montowese Health and Rehab Center in North Haven was fined $1,740 after a resident suffered a calf laceration needing 10 stitches on March 23 while being moved from a wheelchair to a bed. According to DPH, one nurse’s aide tried to move the resident even though the resident’s care plan calls for two-person assistance. An investigation found the aide lied about what had happened, delayed seeking proper treatment, and subsequently was fired, according to DPH.
Montowese Health and Rehab Center officials did not return a call seeking comment.
The Summit At Plantsville was fined $1,635 after a resident was hospitalized after receiving the wrong medication. On March 28, a resident was given 30 milligrams of vitamin K instead of 30 grams of kayexalate, which treats high potassium levels in the blood, according to DPH.
The resident became confused and was taken to a hospital, where staff diagnosed high blood potassium, acute kidney injury secondary to dehydration, delirium and confusion.
“The Summit At Plantsville takes very seriously our obligation to provide quality services to our residents,” said administrator John Kelly. “As a result of this incident, we have performed an internal review of our processes and will continue to look for ways to improve the care we provide to all our residents.”
Harbor Village North Health and Rehabilitation Center in New London was fined $1,530 after a diabetic resident didn’t receive an insulin medication for four days. The resident was taken to a hospital on April 19 with lightheadedness, blurred vision and increased thirst and urination, the citation said. Facility staff failed to document whether the medication was administered from April 16 to April 19, and a licensed practical nurse couldn’t remember administering it, the citation said.
An administrator at the facility declined to comment.
