Nursing home fined $75,000 for lying about resident who choked to death

Losing a loved one in a nursing home death is bad enough, but finding out that the nursing home covered up the real cause of death would be terrible.  Even worse, what if the nursing home was actually responsible for the resident’s death?

An Anaheim, CA nursing home has been fined $75,000 for reporting that an elderly resident died of a heart attack when in fact he died after choking on a tuna fish sandwich.  What makes this situation worse is that the nursing home was not supposed to be feeding the man solid food.  According to the California Health and Human Services documents, the Anaheim Crest Nursing Center resident was only supposed to receive pureed food as he suffered from dementia.

It wasn’t until the coroner completed his investigation into the man’s death three months after the incident that the true cause of death came to light.  Once the corner ruled that the man had died from choking on a sandwich, the facility disclosed the truth.  According to State papers, staff at the nursing center did not try to clear the victim’s throat, check him for aspiration or provide any emergency treatment.

The nursing home decided to conduct another investigation of the incident after learning of the autopsy results.  They allegedly found that the resident had grabbed a sandwich from a food tray. The nursing home is planning to appeal the fine as they claim that only one person at the facility knew the real cause of death and did not speak up.

Concerned about a suspicious death or worried about how your loved one is being treated in a Virginia nursing home?  Contact the experienced attorneys at Weisberg & Zaleski to discuss your situation for no cost or obligation.