W eekend SV
Saukvalley.com
Your source for news and sports 7 days a week
Serving Lee, Whiteside, Carroll, Ogle and Bureau counties Saturday&Sunday, December 20-21, 2014 $2.00
MEET THE 2014 ALL-AREA TEAM
MEET ANNE HERMES, WORKING ARTIST COMMUNITY, C12
PREP FOOTBALL, B1
INVESTIGATIVE SERIES | NURSING HOMES IN THE SAUK VALLEY
All violations ‘major to me’ Groups advocate for residents on matters of health, lifestyle BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
Residents in Sauk Valley nursing homes have died or been injured because of neglect or mistakes or lack of prudent policies. There have been documented falls and unplanned weight losses, and infections have spread. In a state that ranks among the worst in nursing home care, the Sauk Valley area has a higher rate of nursing homes with severe deficiencies than the rest of Illinois – 65 percent here compared to 25 percent in the state overall. But equally troubling to advocates for better care are the constant and repeated violations for building and fire codes – and for the lesssevere violations that are cited without penalties ever being imposed. Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com For instance, some violaAt Franklin Grove Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, activities such as group games or reading from the daily newspaper are tions relate to residents not always offered to keep the residents active and alert. Often, however, nursing homes are cited for less severe violations related being able to eat the food to residents not being able to eat the food they want, or to do the activities they prefer. they want, or to do the activities they prefer. They don’t affect the resiAbout the series dents’ physical health in a About 25 percent of the nursing negative way, or even rise to homes in Illinois have been cited the level of a fine, but advofor at least one severe deficiency cates for nursing home resiviolation since 2012, but in the dents still see a problem. Sauk Valley, that rate increases BY MATT MENCARINI and the window hangings “I wouldn’t consider any to 65 percent. mmencarini@saukvalley.com were broken and runof them being minor,” 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 That was among the finddown.” said Sally Petrone, head of Regulating nursing homes ings Sauk Valley Media reporter The nursing home also Brenda Nye walked into a the state’s long-term-care in Illinois and the Sauk Valley Matt Mencarini found during a smelled of urine, she said, Whiteside County nursing ombudsman program. 6-month review of nearly 4,000 home on the day her father and the staff wasn’t as family members of nursing home pages of documents – including cooperative as she wanted moved in. ADVOCATE CONTINUED ON A10 residents. This week, and occainspection reports, enforcement in moving a bed with railHer mother, who was sionally thereafter, Mencarini will letters, and plans of correcings into her father’s room. going to be leaving him report on the state of nursing tion – and nearly 30 hours of Read the “It was a disaster from there, was in the room with homes and the regulatory prointerviews with nursing home the minute I walked in the him. Nye remembers the entire series cesses in the Sauk Valley and administrators, industry experts, door,” Nye said. “My mom look on her face. Illinois. Go to saukvalley.com nursing home advocates and cried all the way home, “My mom had that look and click on the link for “A leaving him there that in her eye, like, ‘I can’t do Sorry State” to read all of night, because she didn’t Inside Story: The majority of direct nursing care for nursing home it,’” Nye said. “She was just the stories in this investiwant to leave him.” residents is done by certified nursing assistants, who make between $8.75 uncomfortable. The place gative series and to view and $10.50 an hour. Because of the difficult work, there’s a high rate of was not very sanitary at all, supplemental documents. LOOKING CONTINUED ON A8 turnover among CNAs, nursing home administrators said. Page A9 whatsoever. The furniture
When looking, start early, visit many nursing homes
A sorry state
2015 ELECTION | DIXON MAYOR
Kuhn makes it a race
Jeff Kuhn, Dixon commissioner of streets and public improvements, speaks during a streetscape dedication ceremony Dec. 5 at First Street and Hennepin Avenue. Kuhn on Friday filed his petition to run for mayor in the April election. He has been heavily involved in the downtown streetscape project.
Dixon commissioner second to file for mayor BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Cloudy
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 16 44 Pages
Today: 37/28 For the forecast, see Page A11
Windy City fare
O’Dawgs offers Chicago-style hot dogs and sandwiches in Sterling. See Page C1
DIXON – City Commissioner Jeff Kuhn doesn’t want to be re-elected to his current position. He wants to be mayor. The 63-year-old Kuhn, who was elected to his first term as a commissioner in 2011, picked up petitions for commis-
Last-Minute Gift Guide Gift ideas that will really make a difference Also inside USA Weekend: Sour cream pound cake Advice for colds and flu Jai Courtney, Anna Kendrick
sioner and mayor. He filed his petition for mayor on Friday, but said he had made the decision last weekend, after speaking with his wife and children. “I talked it over with my family and a lot of people in the community, whose opinion I respect,” Kuhn said. “And they said, ‘You’ve got to do this.’ KUHN CONTINUED ON A5
Index Births................ C5 Lottery .............. A2 Business........... C1 Markets .......... A11 Classified .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 Comics ............. B8 Opinion............. A6 Community ..... C12 Scoreboard ...... B4 Scrapbook ....... C3 Crossword Saturday ........... D5 Sports .............. B1 Support groups .. C5 Crossword Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dave Ramsey ... C1 Weather.......... A11 Dear Abby ........ C4 Wheels ............. D8