 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Two former residents sue nursing homeBy JAMIE JONES
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- Two women who say they were abused at Heartland of Brooksville filed lawsuits against the nursing home this week. Helen Palahunic, who stayed at the nursing home for about three months last year, alleges that she received severe bruises because of rough handling and was unnecessarily put in diapers. She also says the staff failed to diagnose and treat stroke symptoms. She filed suit against the nursing home's parent company, Health Care and Retirement Corp. of America. A spokesman for Wilkes and McHugh, a Tampa law firm handling the case, said the complaints are "all too common." "It's again and again, too awful, too often," said Steven Vancore. Julie Beckert, a spokeswoman for Health Care and Retirement Corp., said she couldn't comment on the specifics of Palahunic's case because it's in litigation. Christine Simmons also is suing the company, alleging that she too was abused and occasionally not fed during her stay at the Brooksville nursing home for six months, ending in June. She says she developed a staph infection and began having seizures. Beckert said she hadn't seen that suit. "I believe that we took the appropriate care measures with both residents," she said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Hernando Times |
