Content Reviewed by:
Steven M Levin
Content Reviewed by: Steven M Levin
Since 1976, Steve Levin has been dedicated to helping people injured by others’ negligence. He is one of the first attorneys in the U.S. to prosecute nursing homes for abuse and negligence. He’s also helped write new legislation that governs the operation of nursing homes, including the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. Moreover, Levin & Perconti has obtained the top three jury verdicts in nursing home negligence cases in Illinois.
Chicago North Side Nursing Home Facing Heavy Accusations of Neglect and Abuse
News reports and interviews with a former Foster Health and Rehabilitation employee reveal just how terrible conditions and resident treatment are at the North Side nursing home. Just days before, reports and a shocking video of abuse shook residents and family members after a 69-year-old man was found neglected and injured at the nursing home, located at 840 W. Foster Avenue in Chicago.
The former employee, Annette Zegarra, recently worked as an office manager for Foster Health and Rehabilitation Center. Zegarra told WGN9 news she knows the abused resident, now identified by family as James Crowder. Mr. Crowder is also a military veteran. A video shows he was found naked on the floor by another resident’s family member visiting the rehabilitation center. In a video, Crowder appeared confused, with a bloody gash on his head and disabled by an injured foot.
The man’s sister told WGN, “She heard this man crying out. She went to see and who she saw was my brother,” and the man’s niece said, “Laying on the floor, no clothing, food was thrown at him, bleeding, that’s no way for anybody to be treated.”
Facility Owners May Have Ignored Complaints and Requests for Help
Zegarra told news media that Foster’s administrators ignored a lot of staff and resident complaints. She continued to show sadness for Mr. Crowder in her interview and closed by saying, “When he first came in, he was able to walk with his cane. He was able to wheel himself. I feel like the neglection that they’ve been giving him throughout the months that he’s been there, that’s why he’s looking the way he’s looking now.”
Crowder’s family also said in an interview that staff at the facility haven’t been helpful and made several excuses for why he was in the condition he was in the recorded video. “They claim he couldn’t get up. They claim this is the way he wants to be on the floor. Who wants to lay on a cold floor? He was lying in feces, urine, everything … This is how we found him last night.”
The former employee says Crowder may not be the only one being mistreated. And, she added, “Check on your family members. Check if they’ve got bruises, check on their financials, check on their credit card statement, check everything.”
Foster Health and Rehabilitation has repeatedly made the quarterly Illinois Nursing Home Violators reports and been cited for serious Nursing Home Care Act violations. This statute provides nursing home residents and their families with the assurance that proper and safe care will be received.
Families Must Hold Foster Health and Rehabilitation Accountable
This is an unfortunate situation, but sadly similar to stories we hear each day at Levin & Perconti as we fight for nursing home residents all over the country. If your loved one is a resident at Foster Health and Rehabilitation and you believe they are a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact the skilled legal team at Levin & Perconti and start helping them today.
Please, call for a FREE and confidential consultation at 312-332-2872 in Chicago, Illinois, or toll-free at 1-877-374-1417.
