Foster Health & Rehab: Wheelchair Incident Unreported - IL
The facility's Director of Nursing told inspectors on December 24 that the wheelchair "broke" and that the resident "had it for a long" time. The nursing director described it as "a regular wheelchair in weight" but provided no other details about what happened or whether the resident was injured.
Federal inspectors attempted to speak with staff about the incident but found the initial report "so vague" they couldn't conduct interviews. They had to reschedule their investigation.
The wheelchair breakdown violated the facility's own accident reporting policy, revised just weeks earlier on January 1, 2025. The policy requires immediate reporting of any incident involving residents, with written documentation completed before the end of the shift.
Staff must conduct "immediate assessment" of any resident involved in an incident and complete a full investigation within five business days. The policy also mandates notifying the resident's doctor and family, documenting everything in medical records, and monitoring the resident's condition for at least 72 hours afterward.
None of these steps were followed.
The facility's policy states its purpose is "to ensure that accidents and incidents that occur with residents is identified, reported, investigated, and resolved" and to create a database for studying causes and preventing future incidents.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to immediately report accidents and incidents that could affect resident health and safety. The wheelchair incident represented a "minimal harm or potential for actual harm" violation affecting few residents, according to the inspection report.
The broken wheelchair incident highlights how facilities sometimes fail to follow their own safety protocols, even when policies are recently updated and clearly written.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Foster Health & Rehab Center from 2025-12-26 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: August 5, 2026 · Our methodology
FOSTER HEALTH & REHAB CENTER in CHICAGO, IL was cited for violations during a health inspection on December 26, 2025.
The facility's Director of Nursing told inspectors on December 24 that the wheelchair "broke" and that the resident "had it for a long" time.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.