Former
Chicago Bears Running Back, George McAfee, is most known for his
celebrated professional football career. George was drafted in the first
round by the Bears. In his eight seasons in Chicago, George was a four
time NFL Champion and was named the NFL punt return champion, landing
him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966. Following the end
of his celebrated career, George unfortunately entered the national
spotlight again more than thirty years later for an entire different
reason.
In
a case that garnered national attention, George's family settled out of
court with Emeritus Corporation after George drank industrial strength
cleaning detergent while left unsupervised in an assisted living
facility and died ten days later. George's death drew national attention
to the world of for-profit assisted living facilities and shed light on
the potential dangers of placing a loved one in a loosely regulated
facility.
In
the years prior to his death, George suffered from dementia. Because he
was not in poor physical health, his family jumped on the opportunity
for George to reside at Cypress Gardens, an Emeritus assisted living
facility in Atlanta, Georgia for a fee of $4,000 per month. Despite the
cost, his family was happy to have him in a home-like environment, which
was a stark contrast to the sterile feel of most nursing homes.
George's
situation is becoming more common, in that there is a growing
population of elderly individuals who are in good physical shape but
suffer from memory issues including dementia and Alzheimer's disease. As
such, "memory units" are becoming increasingly popular in profit-based
assisted living facilities for the exact reasons that George McAfee's
family chose Cypress Gardens, in that they provide a transitory step for
elderly residents who need assistance but who do not require full time
skilled nursing care.
Unfortunately,
many families choosing assisted living facilities are not aware that
they are often for-profit facilities that do not receive federal funding
and are therefore not subject to federal regulations. In addition,
workers receive minimum wage, get limited training, and are often
subject to inadequate staffing ratios. These issues appear to have
factored into George McAfee's death, as facility records revealed that
the wing where George found and consumed the cleaning fluid was
unstaffed for a half an hour and the cabinet containing the fluid was
left unlocked, contrary to protocol.
Looking
back, George McAfee's daughter Mary Jeanne Stouffer wishes they would
have done their "homework" before picking a facility but admitted that
it didn't cross their mind to need to double check the reputation of the
facility . In addition Stouffer advised that adult children need to
advocate for their parents.
There
are certainly several lessons to be learned from George McAfee's tragic
death. At Keating Law Offices, we routinely advocate on behalf of
clients who have been seriously injured or even died as a result of
negligent care at a nursing home or assisted living facility. As George
McAfee's family suggests, it is very important to thoroughly research a
long term care facility's record before selecting a facility for a loved
one.
If you
have a question about this post, or any other issue related to Illinois Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse Law, please contact Mike Keating at Keating Law Offices
by calling 312-208-7702 or emailing MKeating@
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