Manorcare charged $20,000 after sexual assault incident
A 71-year-old mentally disabled woman was sexually assaulted by another resident in a Rolling Meadows nursing home, state officials said.
The state charges the home failed in its duty to protect the victim and didn't report the attack to police.
ManorCare's Rolling Meadows facility faces a $20,000 fine from the Illinois Department of Public Health stemming from the incident last November, but the facility is fighting the ruling.
A 62-year-old man with dementia, who had inappropriately touched another resident's breasts in the TV room last September, assaulted the woman in the TV room about noon Nov. 18, state officials said in a report.
Hearing a woman cry "No, no leave me alone," an employee tried to get into the TV room, but the door was locked. When the door opened, the man pulled up his suspenders and his zipper was open, state officials said.
The woman, who was found with her pants down and clothing around her neck, accused the man of abusing her, according to the state report. The woman was taken to the hospital to be treated and her relatives were notified. Workers sent the man to a mental health care facility for treatment.
A relative of the woman told investigators for the state agency that she had never seen her "cry so much."
ManorCare, a 155-bed skilled care facility at 4225 Kirchoff Road, is appealing the state fine, disputing the accusation that the man had a history of inappropriate behavior.
"We cooperated with the authorities and took appropriate action to ensure the safety of our residents including removing one of the residents from the center as well as in-servicing staff on policies and procedures," ManorCare said in a statement issued to its Ohio corporate offices.
The facility is accused of failing to notify law enforcement of the alleged sexual assault, and failing to implement a care plan and monitoring system for a resident with a history of being sexually inappropriate. ManorCare didn't protect the woman from being abused, the state said.
The department has set a status date for Sept. 17.