Suit Blames Death On Nursing Home Woman Says Negligence Caused Father’s Death After He Fell

A Coeur d’Alene woman is suing her father’s nursing home, accusing the business of neglecting the 91-year-old man and causing his death.

Anna Marie Halpern says her father waited six hours with an injured spine before employees at Coeur d’Alene Convalescent Center identified the problem and took him to the hospital.

Clarence Vedder died two weeks later.

It is the third negligence lawsuit filed in Kootenai County this year against Unicare Homes, Inc., a company based in Milwaukee, Wis., that owns two nursing homes in Coeur d’Alene and several in Spokane.

Coeur d’Alene Convalescent Center, now known as Ironwood Rehabilitation Center, and Sunset Terrace nursing home, now known as LaCrosse Health and Rehabilitation Center, are owned by Unicare.

Halpern’s elderly father suffered from dementia and heart disease when he stayed at Coeur d’Alene Convalescent Center from February 1993 to October 1994.

In her suit filed Thursday, Halpern contends the employees there were not properly trained and had been putting her father in bed with nylon socks on.

In October 1994, Vedder tried to get out of his bed and go to the bathroom. The combination of waxed floors, Vedder’s socks and a bed that was allowed to roll free, caused the elderly man to slip and fall, according to the suit.

He suffered the spinal injury, which wasn’t diagnosed and treated for six hours, his daughter alleges. Halpern believes the injury eventually led to her father’s death.

Mike Mervis, Unicare spokesman, declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the company has not yet seen the documents.

Unicare has been besieged with problems this year.

In September, the government shut down Unicare’s Valleycrest nursing home in Spokane. The home had repeatedly been flagged for poor care and failure to protect residents from injuries.

Southcrest, another Unicare home in Spokane, was ordered for a time not to accept new patients after the state accused the home of failing to properly investigate unexplained patient injuries.

Earlier this year, two other lawsuits were filed against Unicare and its Coeur d’Alene nursing homes.

Barbara Lingle-Keuter filed suit in May against the Sunset/Lacrosse nursing home. She alleges that in March 1994 her father fell and fractured his arm at the nursing home - an injury that wasn’t diagnosed and treated for 38 hours. She also says employees left her father unattended, allowing him to fall and fracture his hip and pelvis - injuries she contends led to his death in May 1994.

Mervis previously said the man died of a heart attack. He also said the company is trying to make improvements to its facilities.

Kathleen Birmingham filed suit in April against Coeur d’Alene Convalescent Center and Unicare. She says the home failed to lock the wheels on her husband’s bed, causing him to fall and fracture his hip when he tried to get into bed in July 1995. Earl Birmingham lay on the floor until a nurse heard his cries for help.

Then, while Birmingham was recovering, the staff failed to provide adequate food, water and care, according to the suit. He suffered from sores, dehydrations, weight loss and bruises among other things.

Despite the problems, Unicare’s performance in North Idaho has been improving, according to John Hathaway, chief of Idaho’s Bureau of Facilities Standards.

“The facilities that Unicare has here have worked with us to come into compliance,” he said. “We have seen steady improvement.”

State investigators found numerous deficiencies during Sunset/Lacross’ December 1995 inspection. Among other things, inspectors found one resident licking food and debris from his dentures and numerous residents left sitting in their own excrement for extended periods of time.

Inspectors determined the home failed to provide enough staff to protect and properly care for its residents.

However, the most recent inspection is considerably better, Hathaway said. The results have not yet been released to the public.

Coeur d’Alene Convalescent’s most recent inspection in July showed employees were not giving enough care to some patients. It also showed the facility failed to prepare and serve food in sanitary conditions.

However, Hathaway said the nursing home brought itself into compliance by Sept. 26 - two weeks before Medicare and Medicaid payments would have been cut off.

, DataTimes