How To File A Complaint With The Department Of Health About A Senior Care Facility

If you have any issues or concerns regarding the care you or your family are receiving at any senior care facility you can file a complaint with the Department of Health in your state. Those links are available at your state.gov website. You do not have to use your name if you would like to remain anonymous; however, if you do leave your name and contact information, you will get a report about the investigation and what the outcome is. Most of the forms are quite short, giving the impression that most people will be filing one about one specific occurrence. They ask for name of person, incident and injury. Feel free to attach another sheet if your concerns are bigger or involve more than one concern. You can also file a report about neglect or violations discovered at a facility. Many people do not file complaints because they feel that nothing will be done. The more people that call out facilities providing poor care, the more they will be forced to improve. Some states have additional departments where additional reporting can be done so refer to your state.gov website. All complaints are logged and reviewed, and complaints are investigated on a priority basis. Depending on the type and severity of the complaint allegations, the investigation may take anywhere from a few days or weeks, to several months. You can check on your complaint and are encouraged to do so. Make sure that the complaint does not slip through the cracks. Facilities will continue to get away with violating procedures and poor care if they are not forced to change. We must find ways to make sure that the facilities that do not provide the proper care are held accountable. While there are many facilities providing quality care, there are more that are not. Many do not have enough caregivers to provide proper care as there is a shortage of quality staff all over the country. If you are unsure that something is a violation feel free to contact me and I can provide you with more information on how to find out. The link for the Illinois Department of Health is provided below. https://dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/forms/healthcare-facility-complaint-form-061118.pdf