The Chicago Tribune is reporting a very troubling, but unfortunately, common story of a resident's jewelry going missing at a nursing home. What is particularly disturbing about this story is that the jewelry at issue was the rings on a deceased resident's hands. According to the report, the rings were stolen sometime between 8pm on July 28th and 6 am on July 29th. The family then reported the rings missing on August 2nd. The rings included the dead woman's engagement ring and wedding band.
This story reflects that lack of respect and decency that is not given to residents at many nursing homes. What's worse is that many times that same lack of respect and decency is not given to the residents themselves. The Illinois laws have recently been amended to increase the penalties for a failure to properly take care of nursing home residents. There are laws that protect a resident's possession and the right for them to have their possessions safe and accounted for at all times.
If you or a loved one are the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, please contact Illinois Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com.