Deficiencies Found at Grand Court Assisted Living Facility in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Nestled in the heart of Pompano Beach, Grand Court ALF LLC is an assisted living facility that offers a variety of activities and 24 hour availability of nurses. The 205-bed facility has been owned by Grand Court ALF, LLC since March 2013.
Since that time, Grand Court has been fined 11 times, totaling approximately $5050.00. This is a large number of fines for any assisted living facility and indicates that Grand Court has struggled to comply with state regulations. Its most recent fine of $500 was imposed in early 2020 as a result of the facility’s failure to timely provide an approved fire safety inspection report and an approved emergency power plan compliance report.
In addition, several lawsuits alleging negligence have been filed against Grand Court ALF, LLC. A summary of these lawsuits is provided below and gives insight into the type of negligence that is alleged to have occurred at this facility.
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James H. Basmajian, as personal representative of the Estate of Joseph D. Levesque, deceased v. Grand Court ALF, LLC
Allegations: According to the Complaint, the facility failed to develop an adequate care plan which led to Mr. Joseph D. Levesque, a resident at Grand Court ALF, to suffer pressure sores, infections, sepsis, falls, and unexplained injuries. As a result of these injuries, the Complaint alleges that Mr. Levesque died in 2018.
Sandy Fink, as personal representative of the Estate of Frances Fink v. Grand Court ALF, LLC
Allegations: Ms. Frances Fink was a resident of Grand Court ALF, LLC from September 2015 to September 2016. From April 18, 2016 to approximately May 5, 2016, according to the Complaint, Ms. Fink was given anti psychotic medication which was not prescribed to her. As a result, Ms. Fink allegedly suffered from short term memory loss. She passed away in November 2017.
Christine Adderley, as power of attorney for Pearl Cohen v. Grand Court ALF, LLC
Allegations: While a resident at Grand Court ALF, LLC, Ms. Pearl Cohen allegedly suffered as a result of the inadequate healthcare and protective and support services provided by the facility. Claims were made for Ms. Cohen’s suffering, loss of dignity, and bodily injuries.
Attorney Disclaimer
*Each case is different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome or indicate an expected outcome on your particular case. The above prior lawsuit information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to substitute for legal advice from an attorney. This individual case information above is publicly filed information gathered from the publicly filed complaint. This information and these cases are not the work of this law firm. The contents of this website should not be construed as legal advice on any specific fact or circumstance. Your receipt of such information does not create an attorney-client relationship with this law firm or any of its lawyers. You should not act or rely on any of the information contained herein without seeking professional legal advice. Speak with an attorney immediately if you believe you have a viable case against a nursing home, assisted living facility or medical facility.
Code Violations at Grand Court Assisted Living Facility in Pompano Beach
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has also issued several citations against Grand Court ALF LCC for its failure to comply with state and federal regulations. One such citation report is a whopping 65 pages. A summary of the three most recent deficiency reports is provided below and provides insight into how this facility is actually managed and operated.
Standard Statement of Deficiencies dated 8/29/2019 at Grand Court ALF
When a request was made for the approval letter for the facility’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, the last approval letter was not dated within the last year. The Administrator stated that they were waiting for Fire Safety approval to obtain approval of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
Standard Statement of Deficiencies dated 5/2/2019 at Grand Court of Pompano Beach
Numerous deficiencies were found during this survey.
First, a review of employee personnel files found that an employee was hired by the facility, had a background screening conducted, then was later terminated. The employee was then re-hired over ninety (90) days after her termination date, but no background screening was conducted after her second employment date.
In addition, in 3 out of 7 records sampled, the facility did not ensure that Health Assessment Form 1823 was not accurate or complete for those residents. For example, one resident was receiving extended congregate care but this was not listed on his Health Assessment form. Another resident was listed to receive care which was not reflected on her Form 1823. A third resident has two Form 1823 which were undated. One listed that the resident requires assistance with self-administration of medications and the other form was left blank on the section regarding assistance with medication.
Moreover, the third resident was observed to be sitting in her wheelchair in the dining room, making movements as if she was eating although there was nothing in front of her. The surveyor noted that the resident’s condition was not consistent with the information recorded on her Form 1823.
When residents were interviewed, numerous complaints were noted, such as: residents walking in and out of other resident’s rooms and bathrooms, a male resident was observed going in and out of the ladies’ restroom, a female resident went into a male resident’s room and stuffed her pants in their toilet, complaints were made about the quality of the food, there was not enough staff on the weekends, residents in the second seating for the dining room had stated that the kitchen was always running out of food, and there were no weekend activities although they had been requested. Phones at the front desk go unanswered after the receptionist leaves in the evening and the residents are forced to yell to get assistance. One resident complained of a naked man coming into her room and another resident stated to the Director of Nursing that a male resident had walked into her room while she was changing but nothing was done.
Family of residents also noted that clothes they provided for their loved ones was sometimes observed to be worn by other residents. One family member came to visit a resident and found her bra had been put on twisted and so tight to where the skin underneath was red. When one family member took off a sweater off a resident as it did not belong to her and gave it to a staff member, she was observed stuffing it into the closet of another random resident. When asked why she had done so, she had no answer and called housekeeping to pick up the sweater.
None of these incidents had been logged into the grievance log.
A resident who was at risk of elopement was also found without an identification bracelet, as required. The Corporate Executive interviewed stated that they are not provided with identification bracelets because the residents keep pulling them off.
The surveyor also found that several staff members who were not properly licensed or who had not received the appropriate amount of training, were assisting in medication administration. In addition, one of these staff members did not tell some of the residents the medication they were receiving, as required.
Moreover, one staff member did not have any documentation on file proving that she had received a screening regarding whether she had any communicable diseases. A review of employee records also showed that one employee did not have an employment application on file.
Interviews with residents also revealed that residents did not like the food at the facility, the dining room was too crowded during the first seating, and the facility served the same food over and over. On one day, lunch was observed to be served at 12:30, although residents had been seated since 12:00. Furthermore, an observation of the 3-day emergency food supply showed that several staples were missing or were present in quantities that would not last 3 days.
Finally, the facility had no approved Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for the year 2019. Nor were documents related to an approved Emergency Environmental Control Plan provided to the surveyor.
Complaint Statement of Deficiencies dated 1/24/2019 at Grand Court ALF in Broward County
First, the facility was cited for its failure to supervise 3 out of the 3 sampled residents, which resulted in those residents suffering falls and eloping.
One resident stated in an interview that no one responds to the call bell when it is pressed and that no staff members checks on residents and that the facility appears short staffed. As that resident required help transferring in and out of bed, she had fallen several times because no one responded to her call bell. The surveyor pulled that resident’s emergency light and after 15 minutes, no one had responded. When the Corporate Executive was interviewed, she stated that they will have maintenance look at the call bell.
Alarmingly, interviews with family members stated that there were occasions when residents will lock their doors at night, fall, and are unable to receive assistance from staff until the morning shift arrives at 6:00 a.m. During an interview with the Administrator, it was stated that “all of the call lights in the facility [were] working properly.”
Another resident who was at high risk of elopement was kept among the general Assisted Living population from which he had eloped several times. Moreover, the front door’s locking mechanism was not changed since the resident had eloped the last time. During the resident’s most recent elopement, the resident could not be located and the police were called. The resident was taken to the hospital for evaluation and then returned to Grand Court ALF LLC. Moreover, the facility took over a year to file a new Form 1823 Health Assessment documenting the significant change in the resident.
Finally, a resident fell out of bed while she was being turned to transfer her from the bed to her wheelchair. Although the resident required the assistance of two people for transfers, there was only one staff member aiding her as there were not enough staff on hand. A review of the progress notes stated that the resident had fallen out of bed while trying to transfer herself to her wheelchair and that her roommate had found her. No Form 1823 was provided recording the resident’s significant change in condition.
Finally, the facility did not provide a safe living environment as evidenced by tan and black colored markings on the brown vinyl floor which were so deep that they showed the wood-like material underneath. The floor appeared dirty, even after it was mopped.
Multiple large, holes were observed in the wall behind a resident’s bed. Another hole the size of a golf ball was found in the bathroom door, the attachment holding the doorknob to the door was hanging loose and the shower chair in the bathroom had loose screws that caused the back of the chair to hang loosely. When interviewed, the resident stated that staff members come in all the time, but none had assisted the resident in reporting the damages to the wall or the chair.
Care Deficiencies are Not Acceptable at any Florida Facility
Many Florida facilities are cited by state agencies for violations. However, prior deficiency statements issued by AHCA show that Grand Court ALF has allegedly failed to supervise its residents properly, ignoring call bells and resident needs. All this leads to falls and injuries.
If your loved one was injured at Grand Court ALF or any other Broward County assisted living facility, and you suspect negligent or abusive care, please do not hesitate to contact an experienced attorney. At Senior Justice Law Firm, our team of attorneys are narrowly focused on assisted living and nursing home abuse and neglect and we always provide free case evaluations.
Please contact us today for a free consultation by calling 754-312-7202.
