Iowa Nursing Home Cited for Abuse and Death of a Resident

The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing recently assessed multiple violations against Parkview Manor in Wellman. Following a four-week investigation, inspectors cited the eastern Iowa nursing home with 24 state and federal violations.

The number of violations, which is unusually high, includes medication errors, failure to prevent and report resident abuse, inadequate treatment for bed sores, insufficient pain management, lack of professional care standards and a shortage of nursing staff.

According to a recent news article, an especially troubling case involved the death of a female resident who suffered a fall. There were no staff in the woman’s room when the fall occurred, but another employee reported hearing a loud thump. She said it was so loud that she “knew it was a body hitting the floor.” When staff found her, the resident was on the floor where she had fallen, a short distance away from her recliner. Although the woman had a large lump – “a goose egg” – staff only took her vital signs. They did not take time to examine the woman to see what condition she was in.

This level of neglect continued over the next 16 hours. When the woman was finally hospitalized, she was diagnosed with a brain bleed, urinary tract infection and a broken clavicle.

The care is not just inadequate, it highlights the facility’s failure to provide essential follow-up care and emergency response. This incident is horrific in itself, but it also shows a broader pattern of negligence that includes poor infection control, medication errors and inadequate staffing levels.

In addition to the violations assessed against Parkview, the state proposed $35,750 in fines, but those fines are being held pending further federal penalties. Once again, the outcome highlights the need for holding these facilities and individuals accountable.

For those in Iowa, especially families considering nursing home care, this report is a sad reminder of the need to be vigilant in your research when choosing a nursing home facility. It also stresses the need for continuous regulatory oversight to protect the most vulnerable in our community.

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