If you experience a problem with a southwestern IL nursing home, here's what to do next

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If you experience a problem with a southwestern IL nursing home, here's what to do next

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What can you do if you have concerns about your care or a loved one's care in a metro-east nursing home?

Two agencies exist to help you fix issues and to hold nursing homes accountable: the region's long-term care ombudsman program and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Ombudsmen work across Illinois, helping people understand a nursing home resident's rights under federal and state laws, resolve issues with facilities and file complaints with the state health department.

The Illinois Department of Public Health regulates nursing homes. It investigates complaints in addition to conducting regular inspections at every facility and issues citations when a nursing home and its staff aren't following federal and state regulations.

Residents and their advocates can report a variety of issues, from suspected abuse and neglect to poor food quality.

Here are some tips to have your concern addressed:

Start at the local level

Ombudsmen tell residents and families to take their concern to the nursing home first, depending on the severity of the complaint, according to Tracie Ramel-Smith, who oversees the metro-east's ombudsman program.

The state also encourages people to start at the local level. "Always give the facility administrator a chance to resolve the problem before referring it to an outside agency for investigation," the department of public health states on its website.

For serious problems that could threaten a resident's health or safety, however, Ramel-Smith suggests going directly to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

If you don't get results from talking to a nursing home manager, then Ramel-Smith says you can ask an ombudsman to get involved and advocate on your behalf at the nursing home.

If it still doesn't change, she said an ombudsman will talk to you about filing a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health. An ombudsman can't file it without a resident's permission.

You can reach the metro-east's ombudsmen to ask questions or report concerns via email at ombudsman@seniorservicesplus.org and by phone at 800-233-4904 or 618-465-3298 ext. 127.

The ombudsman program for the metro-east operates out of Senior Services Plus, Inc., a nonprofit social service agency for older adults with offices in Belleville and Alton. It serves nursing home residents in St. Clair, Madison, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph, Bond and Washington counties.

Be specific in your complaint

The Illinois Department of Public Health asks people to include specific details in their complaints about nursing homes to help their inspectors investigate, including the following information:

—Who is the nursing home resident involved?

—Who are the employees involved?

—What happened to the resident?

—When did it happen?

—Where in the nursing home did the incident occur?

—How was the resident harmed? How could the resident have been potentially harmed?

—How was your complaint addressed by the nursing home?

The state says the identity of any person who files a complaint remains confidential. Illinois will only use your name and contact information to tell you the outcome of its investigation and how to appeal if your complaint is unsubstantiated. But it is possible to file complaints anonymously.

You can make a complaint with the state health department by phone at 800-252-4343.

You can also download or print the state's health care facilities complaint form. (Find the complaint form online at dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/health-care-regulation/complaints.)

Send the completed form via email to DPH.CCR@illinois.gov or by mail to 525 W. Jefferson St. in Springfield, the central complaint registry at the Illinois Department of Public Health's Office of Health Care Regulation.

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