Posted in Nursing Home Abuse on June 21, 2022
Nursing home abuse and neglect is, unfortunately, a prevalent issue in Billings and throughout Montana. Assisted living and nursing home facilities, especially those run “for profit,” can be understaffed and have employees who are not trained/experienced to properly care for residents. The nursing home abuse and neglect attorney at Heenan & Cook evaluate and prosecute assisted living abuse claims routinely.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services maintains an online database of complaints and deficiency findings related to senior care facilities in Montana. The website- available at https://dphhs.mt.gov/qad/poc can be a bit clunky for families and consumers to navigate, so we culled the website for repeat offenders of elder abuse and neglect in Billings, Montana. The Billings nursing home, rehabilitation and assisted living facilities who have had multiple complaints and deficiencies in the past two years (including links to the actual Complaints and Deficiency Findings):
Aspen Meadows: Aspen Meadows, owned by the national corporation EmpRes Healthcare, bills itself as offering “skilled medical care and therapy services after hospitalization. Long-term care is an environment filled with a family of caregivers to provide additional assistance in a skilled setting.” Aspen Meadows, however, has been accused of mistreating residents in the past. According to a December 2020 news report, a resident complained that they were shut in and isolated following the COVID outbreak, “It was the stuff nightmares are made of. I had no idea that they’re all locked in there just as lonely and scared as I was,” the resident told the press. Aspen Meadows has been the subject of seven DPHHS complaints and deficiency findings, including:
210107.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Facility found to have failed to provide assistance with bathing for 7 of 16 residents sampled. One resident waited 14 days for shower.
210708.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Care plan failed to show any problems, goals or interventions related to behaviors observed since admission.
211111.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Failure to document pressure wounds for multiple residents including Stage IV pressure ulcer, “worsening red mushy heel wound” and heel and sacrum wounds.
210413.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Failure to check for and dispose of expired medications.
210419.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Building code violations.
220308.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Resident lacking safety awareness sustained facial burns after smoking in room with oxygen.
220331.Aspen Meadows Health & Rehab: Facility failed to show evidence that staff training was conducted for new or current staff.
Avantara is owned by the national corporation Legacy Healthcare, which bills itself as providing “Exceptional people. Exceptional care. Exceptional choices” whose vision is to “lead healthcare back to a place where people are treated like people—one where care is more personal, empathetic, and customized to every individual.” Avantara, however, has been the subject of four Complaints and Deficiency Findings in the past 2 years:
210721.Avantara of Billings: Failure to ensure staff member hand hygiene, “gown up”, or sanitize before entering and after exiting patient rooms.
220120.Avantara of Billings: Failure to comply with resident’s DNR order.
210610.Avantara of Billings: Failure to update and revise care plan.
210615.Avantara of Billings: Building code violations.
Bella Terra is also owned by Illinois-based Legacy Healthcare. It markets “our warm and attentive staff, and beautiful campus setting provide the ideal atmosphere for recovery and living.” It, too, has been the subject of multiple Complaints and Deficiency Findings:
210331.Bella Terra of Billings: Failure to ensure a residents’ correct advance directives were in place and filled out according to the residents or representatives wishes.
210916.Bella Terra of Billings: Failure to notify family of a resident’s slip and fall which resulted in head wound requiring hospitalization. Failure to do assessments, failed to set up resident’s CPAP machine per doctor orders, retaliation including not delivering resident’s birthday dinner.
220217.Bella Terra of Billings: Building inspection violations.
220223.Bella Terra of Billings: Building inspection violations.
Parkview Care Center is owned by Lantis Enterprises, also headquartered outside Montana, and bills itself as a “family-oriented health care provider dedicated to excellence whose mission is to enhance the lives of those we serve by providing quality care with respect, dignity and kindness.” DPHHS has documented instances where residents at Parkview Care Center were not treated with dignity and kindness, according to the investigated Complaints:
210119.Parkview Care Center: According to the DPHHS Complaint, a facility staff member physically and verbally abused 3 residents. In addition to residents being hit, resident was called “a bitch” and told to “shut the fuck up or I’ll shut you up.”
210512.Parkview Care Center: Failure to change care plan for resident following fall and injury.
211124.Parkview Care Center: Failure to provide a safe and secure environment with sufficient supervision.
211201.Parkview Care Center: Building code violations.
Eagle Cliff Manor is also owned by Lantis Enterprises. In the past two years, DPHHS has documented the following Complaints and Deficiency Findings:
220120.Eagle Cliff Manor: Failure to have required plans.
220124.Eagle Cliff Manor: Cashing resident fund checks without authorization.
To learn more about the warning signs of assisted living or nursing home abuse and neglect, click here. To speak to the experienced assisted living and nursing home and neglect lawyers at Heenan & Cook, contact us.