CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A lawsuit filed by AARP, Equip for Equality and two Chicago law firms alleged intentional understaffing at six local nursing homes owned by the Alden Network.
Kelly Bagby, VP of Litigation for the AARP Foundation, said while the suit seeks monetary damages, the goal is to correct what she described as intentional understaffing.
“In our complaint, we contend that Alden has placed all of its residents in the six defendant facilities at risk of danger as a direct result of their chronic, systematic, and intentional understaffing of those facilities,” Bagby said.
That understaffing has created a litany of issues at the nursing homes, Bagby said.
“The plaintiffs in this case have suffered from neglect, have suffered from falls, and they’ve often suffered, in addition, to unsanitary and quite disgusting conditions that nobody should be living in,” Bagby said.
A statement from Alden said the company would not discuss the specifics of any pending litigation. The company added:
“Alden vigorously denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing set forth by the plaintiffs and their attorneys and is confident the judicial process will vindicate Alden in this action. Alden is committed to providing quality care and the well-being of our residents has been and always will be our top priority.”
Steve Levin, one of the lawyers representing the residents, said Alden’s mismanagement has gone on for years.
“Alden’s illegal and immoral scheme to maximize profits at the expense of resident care must be stopped,” Levin said. "It has caused one preventable tragedy after another, and it has gone on for years and years.”
The suit claims that Alden staff is short by up to 50% on any given day, and the lawyers alleged it’s purely for monetary purposes by a company with $200 million in revenues.
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