Two Nursing Homes Cited After Resident Deaths

Seven nursing homes were recently fined more than $1,000 each by the state Department of Public Health, including a Bridgeport home and a Hamden facility that were each cited in connection with the death of a resident.

The residents who died were at Bridgeport Manor and Arden House Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Hamden.

On Nov. 24, Bridgeport Manor was fined $1,020 in connection with the Oct. 6 death of a resident whose tracheostomy tube was dislodged.

DPH records say that the resident, who had been admitted to the home Sept. 21 with throat cancer, was spotted on the floor with the tube in her hands. DPH found that a nurse failed to call a “stat” emergency for 20 minutes. It also found that a nurse’s aide failed to stay with the resident twice and that a registered nurse supervisor failed to call 911 quickly when the resident was in distress.

Nurses tried to reinsert the tracheostomy tube and when the resident’s pulse stopped, they tried CPR. A half hour after the resident was found, the supervisor called a doctor, who directed the nurse to call 911, DPH found. The resident was sent to a hospital and died there of cardiac arrest, DPH records show.

In response to the incident, the home re-trained its clinic staff in emergency procedures. At the time of the resident’s death, a niece told WTNH that the family was left with many questions about the death. The niece could not be reached for comment about the fine.

The home’s administrator also could not be reached for comment.

On Dec. 15, Arden House was fined $1,650 in connection with a resident who died of bleeding on the brain on Aug. 28.

The resident, who had dementia, was found on the floor of the home on Aug. 26, but had normal neurological signs, according to records. Throughout that night and into the next morning, the resident refused six times to have his or her neurological signs checked, records show. Later that morning, the resident could not be woken up and was sent to a hospital, where he or she was diagnosed with an acute subdural hematoma, DPH found.

The home found that a licensed practical nurse should have notified a registered nurse that the person was unresponsive, records show.

Arden House was also cited in connection with the case of a resident who broke a hip when he or she fell out of bed on Nov. 29, records show. DPH found that the resident’s records failed to reflect that he or she was supposed to wear “gripper socks” to prevent falls. The resident did not have socks on when the fall took place, DPH found.

Arden House was also cited in connection with a resident who left the facility without permission on Nov. 19. A search was conducted and the person was found safe, records show. The citation said Arden House failed to ensure the person’s whereabouts for most of an evening shift until he or she was discovered missing at 10 p.m., records show.

The home was also cited for failing to wash a resident or change his or her clothes on Oct. 13, records show.

Jeanne Moore, a spokesperson for Genesis Healthcare, which owns Arden House, said the home worked with DPH to regain compliance with all regulations.

Another Genesis home, Salmon Brook Center in Glastonbury, was fined $1,420 on Sept. 24 in connection with a resident who developed a pressure ulcer. DPH found that records failed to reflect that the resident was treated for the pressure ulcer from June 12 through June 30. It also found that the home had delayed in getting a doctor’s order to treat the sore.

Following the citation and fine, Salmon Brook worked with DPH to regain regulatory compliance, Moore said.

On Nov. 28, Cherry Brook Health Care Center in Canton was fined $1,090 in connection with a resident who broke a hip in October.

The resident, who had been deemed at risk for falls, was found on the floor in a bathroom with a walker nearby on Oct. 18, DPH’s citation states. The next day, the resident complained of substantial leg pain and had bruises from the knee to the hip. The resident was diagnosed with the hip fracture and transferred to a hospital.

Before the fall, the resident had been seen about nine times walking alone, and a review of the home’s records found that the home failed to intervene to reduce the person’s risk for falling, records show.

Jacob S. Bompastore, Cherry Brook’s administrator, said the home takes very seriously the obligation to provide quality service.

“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,” he said.

Chesterfields Health Care Center in Chester was fined $1,090 on Nov. 24 in connection with a resident whose leg was broken when he or she was being transferred from a bed to a toilet without the use of a “gait belt,” a device used to help move people who cannot walk or have trouble with balance.

On May 8, an aide was trying to move the resident, but could not bear the person’s weight and lowered the person to the floor. The aide then received help lifting the person from another aide, and neither notified nurses about the fall, records show. DPH records show that both aides were fired.

Ann Collette, a spokeswoman for Apple Rehab, which owns Chesterfields, confirmed that the aides no longer work at the home. She added that the nursing staff has been re-trained on the importance of following the plan of care for transfers, including using gait belts and obtaining assistance from other staff members.

On Nov. 17, Apple Rehab Coccomo in Meriden was fined $1,160 in connection with a resident who sustained a deep cut on the leg on April 17 while being transferred to a wheelchair to a bed, records show.

The home found that the resident was probably cut on a metal latch on the chair and has since been using a padded chair for the resident, DPH’s citation said.

Collette said the nursing staff was trained on the importance of checking a resident’s legs before transferring the person from a wheelchair to a bed in order to prevent injuries.

On Nov. 3, West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center was fined $1,090 in connection with the cases of a resident who developed pressure sores in June. In its citation of the home, DPH concluded that the home failed to ensure that timely measures were taken to prevent or treat such sores.

Theresa Sanderson, administrator of the home, said the home disagreed with some of the findings, but privacy laws prevent her from commenting about a specific resident.

“West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center is committed to providing quality care and services to all of our residents,’’ she said.