By: Kate Farrish
Three Connecticut nursing homes have been fined more than $1,000 each in connection with incidents that left three residents suffering broken bones.
The Fairview Healthcare Center of Greenwich was fined $1,300 on Aug. 8, according to a citation released by the state Department of Public Health.
The citation states that a resident with multiple sclerosis fell out of a lift in June because nurses’ aides used a sling that was too large. The resident was treated at a hospital for a head injury, bruised hip and a broken collarbone, the citation states.
Two nurses’ aides were disciplined in connection with the incident, and all residents were evaluated to determine the correct sized-lift for each of them, the DPH citation said.
The citation also said the home failed to document that had it had properly treated two residents for pressure sores on their feet.
Long Ridge of Stamford was fined $1,095 on Aug. 27, in connection with an incident in which a resident suffered a broken collarbone, DPH reports.
The resident, who has poor vision and Parkinson’s disease, was known to wander in the facility. As a fire alarm was sounding on June 16, a housekeeper spotted the person on a stairwell, the citation said. The resident was sent to the hospital and was diagnosed with the broken bone, according to the report. A staff member should have been assigned to watch exit doors and stairwells, the report said.
DPH also fined Bickford Health Center of Windsor Locks $1,020 in connection with a June incident in which a resident fell out of a wheelchair and suffered a broken arm. The citation said the resident fell out of the wheelchair because a nurse’s aide admitted not securing the footrests. The aide also failed to ensure that the resident was seated upright in the chair, the citation said.
Officials at the three homes did not return calls seeking comment.
