Sherman nursing home fighting $25,000 fine

April 21--SHERMAN -- A Sherman nursing home is fighting a $25,000 fine from the state for allegedly failing to notice and treat a major change in the condition of an 80-year-old resident who later died.

The man was taken from Villa Health Care East to a hospital emergency department on Nov. 26, according to an inspection report from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The man, whose identity wasn't revealed, died four days later from pneumonia and an infection known as sepsis, the report said.

The not-for-profit, 109-bed skilled-care facility at 100 Marian Parkway is appealing the fine through administrative channels within the state health department, said Jim Williamson, president of The Villas Senior Care Community.

He referred a reporter to the organization's lawyer for more comment on Friday. The lawyer confirmed the appeal of the fine but declined to comment further.

The state report said the 80-year-old man, who had dementia and "severe cognitive deficits," had been a resident of Villa Health Care East for four months. He was found to be lethargic during the evening meal time on Nov. 24, but his wife didn't want him sent to the hospital for testing, the report said.

The wife informed the staff the morning of Nov. 26 that she wanted her husband brought to an ER because "she has a gut feeling that something was off," the report said.

There was no record at Villa Health Care East that the man's condition was assessed for "further decline" after he was first identified as being lethargic the night of Nov. 24, according to the report.

Once at the hospital, records there showed that the man "was found to be in septic shock" with a buildup of lactic acid in his system, kidney problems, a higher-than-normal potassium level and pneumonia.

Hospital records said the man's wife noticed her husband getting progressively weaker over the previous two weeks and displaying "increasingly altered mental status and decreased activity" over the previous two days.

The man was discharged to hospice services and died Nov. 30, the inspection report said.

Contact Dean Olsen: dean.olsen@sj-r.com, 788-1543, twitter.com/DeanOlsenSJR.

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