Dutchtown Care Center
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
- Last Modified:
- August 29, 2024
Placing a family member in the care of a Missouri nursing home is a difficult decision to make. You hope your chosen facility will treat your loved one with the care and respect they deserve. Unfortunately, some nursing homes have better reputations than others, and Dutchtown Care Center in St. Louis has a poor track record, making the facility one of the worst nursing homes in Missouri.
Even though it’s a small facility, Dutchtown Care Center has received dozens of serious deficiency reports, including one resulting in a hefty fine. The reports are severe enough to warrant reconsideration if you’re thinking of placing your loved one at the facility. Our personal injury law firm represents victims of nursing home abuse and neglect.
Our award-winning attorneys have over 40 years of experience holding negligent parties accountable for their actions, and we’ve recovered over $1 billion for our clients. We are committed to protecting our community and keeping our state’s most vulnerable residents safe from nursing home abuse. To explore your legal options and pursue a Missouri nursing home abuse claim, schedule a free consultation with our team.
Use our guide to learn how to handle nursing home abuse and neglect, along with key legal considerations and insights.
Exploring Dutchtown Care Center
Brown & Crouppen regularly evaluates the safety and care levels at nursing homes in Missouri. We rely on public data from multiple sources to learn which facilities fail to provide comprehensive care that meets the needs of their residents.
Located at 3421 Gasconade, St. Louis, Missouri, Dutchtown Care Center is a for-profit nursing home that advertises itself as a facility designed to improve and promote the health of its residents. However, according to Medicare’s most recent health inspection report, Dutchtown Care Center has a one-star rating—far below most other facilities.
Medicare’s health inspections resulted in 13 citations, well above the national average of nine. Nearly 30 complaints were filed about the facility over the past three years, two of which resulted in a citation. The facility received a $197,582 fine in December 2021 for numerous infractions, including failing to provide adequate care for bedsores. Dutchtown Care Center has also been cited for:
- Failing to have a registered nurse on duty at least eight hours a day.
- Failing to provide an infection prevention program.
- Not providing an adequate activities program for residents.
Evaluating Dutchtown Care Center's Ratings and Reviews
Various third-party sources evaluate nursing homes, helping to shed light on inadequate care and deficiencies. The U.S. News & World Report doesn’t provide overall Dutchtown Care Center reviews due to the facility’s small size. Still, it is noted that Dutchtown has 17 fire safety and emergency preparedness violations.
ProPublica also reports inadequate staffing at Dutchtown Care Center, with an average of 2.75 daily nurse hours per resident, compared to the Missouri average of 3.3. Nurse turnover is also high, with 65.2 percent of nurses quitting within 12 months, compared to Missouri’s state average of 61.1 percent.
What To Look for in a Nursing Home
Finding a suitable care facility for an elderly loved one can be quite difficult. For many, it’s their first experience with nursing homes, and it can be challenging to know whether a facility has the staff, equipment, and standards to care for residents properly. Here are a few tips to help you make the right decision:
1. Think About Your Loved One's Needs
Not every patient who enters a Missouri nursing home suffers from a debilitating medical condition. Some individuals simply cannot manage their own household but are very mobile and socialize well with others. They may be able to participate in age-appropriate exercise, group activities, and outings.
Other patients may need special attention, including physical therapy or hospice care. If they suffer from conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, they could also benefit from a facility that provides specialized care.
2. Ask Others About Their Experience With the Facility
You can review Missouri nursing home ratings or Medicare’s inspection reports to learn more. If you know someone whose loved one stayed in the nursing home facility, ask them about their experience, whether they would recommend the facility, and if they have any concerns you should consider. You may also ask for insights from social workers or health care providers likely to be familiar with the facility you are considering.
3. Visit Multiple Facilities
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of Missouri nursing home options, schedule a visit with each one. During the visit, speak with the providers who run the facility, as well as nurses and coordinators. Ask about the facility’s activities and treatment programs and whether there are registered nurses on staff qualified to care for your loved one’s specialized medical needs.
Consider making an unscheduled visit to check the facility’s cleanliness and staffing when they’re not expecting you to drop in. A second visit will also allow you to speak with other staff members.
4. Look for Signs of Abuse and Neglect
A nursing home’s employees are responsible for caring for residents, but they often fail to provide proper care. In the worst cases, employees may even intentionally abuse or neglect their patients, which is illegal and can have harmful and even fatal consequences.
When visiting prospective facilities, pay close attention to signs of nursing home abuse and neglect, which may include:
- Unclean rooms, bedding, or bathrooms.
- Lack of available staff to respond to patient needs.
- Insults or disrespectful comments made to patients by staff members.
- Visitors who voice concerns about their loved one’s care to nurses and caregivers.
- Unappetizing food and dirty dining facilities.
- Patients left alone, even though it appears they need assistance.
- Signs of physical abuse, such as suspicious bruises and fearful residents.
If you have a feeling that something doesn’t feel right about a facility, trust your gut and investigate further. Do not ignore signs of abuse and neglect at a nursing home. Sadly, mistreatment at these facilities is more common than many people realize.
Your Legal Options
If your loved one is a resident of Dutchtown Care Center and you’ve noticed a decline in their health or otherwise suspect they’re experiencing neglect or abuse, do not wait to look into the matter, as doing so can save your loved one’s life. Further, having an experienced nursing home abuse attorney explain your legal rights and help you conduct an investigation can be critical.
"At Brown & Crouppen, we handle all types of nursing home neglect and abuse cases. The most common types we'll see—physical abuse or neglect, emotional abuse or neglect, financial abuse and neglect, and jewelry missing from the nursing home. Especially for people in nursing homes—the most vulnerable in our society—if you see something, say something. You have to use your instincts here. Generally, you don't think something bad is happening to a loved one. Err on the side of caution, call an attorney, let them do a little investigation, or talk you off the ledge. Tell you, ‘Oh, that's probably nothing, but we're happy to look into it,’ or, ‘No, no, I'm glad you called. That's a real red flag. That's a nursing home we've heard a lot about.’ There are also repeat offenders who are known for mistreating the residents in their homes. You just got to go with your gut and call an attorney."
Brown & Crouppen frequently represents clients in nursing home abuse and neglect claims throughout Missouri. We’ve recovered millions of dollars for victims and their families, holding facilities accountable for the harm they cause to vulnerable residents. Our case results in Missouri nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuits include:
- $1 Million Wrongful Death Settlement – A client’s mother experienced burns in an altercation at her facility, which led to her hospitalization and death.
- $500,000 Wrongful Death Settlement – A client’s mother suffered negligent care, which caused her to develop untreatable Stage 4 bedsores. Life support was ultimately terminated.
- $200,000 Neglect Settlement – A nursing home failed to prevent a bed bug infestation, resulting in severe discomfort and injuries for our client.
Get started with a free consultation with one of our skilled Personal Injury Lawyers today.
Contact Our Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Attorneys Today
If you suspect your loved one’s condition is the result of nursing home abuse or neglect, our attorneys can help. We represent clients throughout Missouri, including in St. Louis and Kansas City. To schedule a free consultation with the skilled legal team at Brown & Crouppen, call (800) 536-4357 or contact us online. We charge no upfront costs or legal fees, and we only get paid if we win your case.
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- Last Modified:
- August 29, 2024
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