Iowa Nursing Home Cited After a Resident Tried to Smother Her Roommate With a Pillow

Shortly before noon on April 10, a nurse’s aide at Winslow House Care Center in Marion, Iowa reacted after hearing a resident cry out from one of the rooms. The aide went to see what was going on and saw one resident lying down in her bed with another resident standing over her. The aide said the resident standing up was forcefully “pushing a pillow and blanket down” onto the face of the roommate lying in her bed.

The aide and other workers tried to approach the woman to pull her off her roommate. In their report, inspectors noted that the resident involved in the attack was aggressive and argumentative. She shouted at the staff, saying she had not done anything wrong.

Why the Nursing Home Was Cited for the Attack

The female resident who tried to smother her roommate suffers from dementia. She also has a prior history involving several altercations with other residents. These prior incidents had occurred over the several months prior to the attack on April 10.

• Back in October, the resident argued and shoved another female resident at the facility after entering her room.
• Just days after the October incident, the resident attacked and struck another female resident in the face.
• Inspectors documented that a third female resident said she was afraid of the woman.

According to a news report, staff told residents at the facility that there was nothing they could do. The director of nursing allegedly also told inspectors that despite these incidents, no additional supervision was ever provided. After this latest incident, the director of nursing said the woman had one-on-one supervision for 24 hours, before “corporate instructed us we did not need to continue with it.”

This facility is owned by the Capstone Group Inc. and managed by Healthcare of Iowa Inc. As a result of these incidents, two state fines, in the amount of $6,500, have been imposed against Winslow House for failing to keep its residents safe.

Currently, these fines have been suspended while CMS considers whether further fines should be imposed.

Concerned About Your Loved One in a Nursing Home? We Are Here to Help

Do you suspect your loved one suffered an injury due to nursing home neglect or abuse? If so, we may be able to help you hold the at-fault parties accountable for their actions.

At PKSD, our experienced Wisconsin nursing home abuse lawyers have recovered millions in compensation for injured nursing home residents. We also have staff ready to take your call anytime, night or day, to discuss your situation.

When you call, be sure to request a free case review to learn if you have legal options. We handle nursing home abuse and neglect cases in Wisconsin, Iowa and New Mexico.

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