Chicago physician Dr. Michael Reinstein is being accused of multiple counts of nursing home malpractice for overmedicating patients that were in his care.

According to staff members at the facility where he worked, Maxwell Manor, patients treated by Reinstein experienced symptoms such as trembling, loss of bladder control and hallucinations.  Legal documents also indicate that the doctor relied heavily on a psychiatric drug called clozapine to treat his patients, which has several warnings and has been linked to at least three people who died while under Reinstein’s care.

One such patient, Alvin Essary, died in 1999 at the age of 50.  An autopsy revealed that he had five times the toxic level of clozapine in his body at the time of his death.  Similarly, 54 year old Odell Spruell died after Reinstein doubled his dose of clozapine.  And then there was Wendy Cureton, who at just 27 years old died at the hands of Reinstein.  Cause of death was clozapine intoxication.

Maxwell Manor was closed in 2000 for allegations of nursing home neglect; however Dr. Reinstein is still actively practicing psychiatric medicine in other facilities all over Chicago and placing unsuspecting nursing home residents in harms way every time they are treated by him.

A few of the allegations against Reinstein have resulted in settlements out of court, however still others are pending.  We’ll gladly pass along any further information along here as it becomes available.

In another disheartening case of nursing home malpractice, the family of a New York woman is suing for her wrongful death after she died while in the care of a Westchester nursing facility.

The patient, 73 year old Verda Henry, went to the facility in 2005 for what she thought would be a short stay while she waited for her fractured arm to heal.  Instead, Henry became a victim of nursing home neglect and developed a dangerous bed sore on her back.

According to court documents both Verda and several members of her family repeatedly requested that she be released so that she could return home.  On every occasion, medical staff refused.  Verda remained in the facility for two years, where her bed sore continued to worsen.

In August 2007, Henry’s daughter discovered the extent of her mother’s injury when she lifted her hospital dress and found that the sore had become large, darker in color and clearly infected.  She then watched her mother suffer excruciating pain while medical staff attempted to clean the wound.  Henry died shortly afterwards.

The family is suing Sutton Park Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation for Henry’s wrongful death.  Family members claim that during their many long visits with Henry, they noted that the staff at the nursing facility were often too busy and neglected even her basic needs.

The care provided to the elderly and aging should exhibit the highest of standards and exemplary service.  Unfortunately, too often this is not the case.  If you suspect that your loved one has been a victim of nursing home malpractice, talk it over with a medical attorney right away.

A Georgia jury recently reached a guilty verdict in a nursing home negligence case brought against Tucker Nursing Home.  The facility had been charged with neglect of one of its patients, resulting in pressure sores and other serious injuries.

The daughter of Melvin Raybon, now deceased from unrelated causes, filed suit against the facility on her father’s behalf.  Her complaint alleges that her father did not receive adequate attention and care when staying at the facility, and as a result, he suffered from severe, painful bedsores.

Bedsores, sometimes referred to as pressure sores, are usually caused by prolonged pressure on one area of the body.  This often occurs when a patient is left to lie in one position for long periods of time.  The pressure restricts the skin’s blood flow, causing the tissue to eventually break down.  To avoid this, bedridden patients should be turned frequently to ensure that they not remain in the same position for too long.

The lawsuit alleges that due to inadequate staffing levels, Mr. Raybon was not properly attended to and was only turned every four hours, as opposed to every two hours which is required to avoid the development of sores.

As a result, Raybon suffered from the painful sores over the remaining 12 months of his life.

The jury ruled against the facility, awarding a $1.25 million nursing home negligence settlement to Raybon’s surviving family.