Mennonite Home in Illinois Fined $25,000 for Nursing Home Abuse

Why are the most vulnerable among us being subjected to outrageous abuse?

 

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Meadows Mennonite Home in Chenoa, Illinois has been fined a penalty of $25,000 for its alleged failure to protect six of their elderly residents from a staff member who abused their rights. The staff member is accused of not only photographing and videotaping the defenseless individuals in partially nude postures, but of further violating their privacy by posting these images on social media. In awful situations like these, it is crucial for those with a family member in a nursing home to have a compassionate personal injury attorney to turn to.

In addition to fining the nursing home, the local police are conducting a criminal investigation of other individuals who may be connected to this dreadful mental abuse and humiliation. The Illinois Department of Public Health alleges that those in charge of the nursing home were aware of the unauthorized pictures but never reported the matter to authorities. The McLean County State’s Attorney, Jason Chambers, has confirmed that the sheriff’s department is investigating the allegations of criminal conduct in the case.

Operators of the Meadows Home, however, present a contradictory perspective on the case. They are requesting a hearing on the findings of the Department of Public Health. They state that they will contest the fine, insisting that their staffers took action promptly once they became aware of the abuse by contacting the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Sheriff’s Department immediately. They also claim that the person who posted unauthorized and inappropriate images and videos of Meadows’ residents on social media is not affiliated with the nursing home and that the McLean County Sheriff’s Department is investigating two of their former employees for alleged involvement in the abuse.

Officials at the Meadows Home say that they are cooperating fully with the investigation. Part of their statement reiterates, “We have and will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities as they investigate and act on this case.” The Meadows Home also reports that it is conducting its own investigation to uncover what occurred and how to prevent similar instances in the future. The operators of the home say they won’t allow “dysfunctional behaviors of several individuals to overshadow the many positive and compassionate behaviors of the many employees and residents at Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community.”

However this case is decided in court, and whoever is found guilty of having perpetrated this crime, no one is arguing that this abuse did not take place. Unfortunately, although this case is a shocking and distressing one, it is by no means an isolated one. Nursing home abuse is all too common throughout the country. There are individuals who seek out the weakest among us as their prey. Nursing room residents, typically incapacitated by medical or mental disability (or both) make easy targets for physical, verbal, emotional, financial or sexual abuse.

Thank goodness, if you have a loved one who has experienced abuse while in a nursing home in the Kansas City area, you have more than one means of recourse. Whether or not a criminal case is prosecuted, you can engage the services of a skilled, caring personal injury attorney, like those at Noland Law Firm LLC, to obtain the compensation and justice your family deserves. Your first consultation is always free.