Alice Horne was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. She was confined to her bed at the Lexington Healthcare of Orland Park nursing home. Horne was 82 years old; the staff discovered bedsores on her heels and sacrum. The nursing home staff began repositioning her, but the staff did not notify Horne’s family about her condition.
The wounds on her heels and sacrum became infected, and Horne remained in pain until she died from unrelated causes several months later.
Horne’s family filed suit against the nursing home claiming that it had chosen not to provide adequate nutrition and to timely notify the family about Horne’s declining medical condition.
In addition, the lawsuit maintained that Lexington Healthcare did not implement adequate wound care by arranging for a skin consultation and was also negligent by failing to keep Horne’s wounds clean and dry.
The defendant nursing home argued that Horne’s health led to the unavoidable wounds and that the family should have consented to a feeding tube for Horne.
The Horne family and Lexington Healthcare agreed to settle the case for $150,000 before the start of trial. The attorney representing the Horne family was Marc E. McAllister.
Alice Horne v. Lexington Healthcare of Orland Park, Inc., No. 10 L 4658 (Cook County, Ill.).
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling nursing home abuse cases, nursing home negligence cases and medical negligence cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 38 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Evergreen Park, Calumet Park, Bedford Park, Forest Park, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park, Melrose Park, Park Ridge, Park Forest, Oak Forest, Orland Park and Western Springs, Ill.
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