Aperion Care Forest Park: Nail Care Neglect Cited - IL
Inspectors visited the facility on May 19 and 20, 2026, as part of a complaint investigation. What they found was straightforward: two residents with long, dirty fingernails who had asked for help and received none.
The first resident, identified in inspection records as R3, was observed at 12:30 p.m. on May 19 with long, dirty fingernails. He told inspectors he would like his nails cleaned. Three minutes later, the certified nurse aide assigned to his hallway, identified as V11, explained why that hadn't happened. She said she performs nail care only every two weeks, and only when the facility has two certified nurse aides staffed on each hallway. She said she had not performed any nail care for R3 at all.
The Director of Nursing, identified as V2, was asked about this at 12:39 p.m. She said nail care should be performed as needed, and whenever nails are visibly dirty.
The next morning, inspectors found the second resident.
R8 was observed at 11:35 a.m. on May 20 with long, dirty fingernails, an exposed incontinence brief, and an exposed gastrostomy tube. He told inspectors he would like staff to clean and cut his nails. He said staff does not do it.
The certified nurse aide assigned to R8, identified as V17, confirmed this. He said they do not provide any nail care for residents.
Not sometimes. Not under certain staffing conditions. Not without a specific order. They do not provide it.
The Director of Nursing was notified of these findings at 11:39 a.m. She said her expectation is that staff provide nail care, grooming, and dressing to residents who need it, and that nail care is part of certified nurse aide duties under activities of daily living care.
That gap, between what the Director of Nursing said her expectations were and what two of her aides described as standard practice, is what the inspection captured. One aide had a conditional explanation: staffing has to be high enough first. The other didn't bother with conditions. He said they simply don't do it.
The facility's own policy on grooming lists nail care explicitly, describing it as part of maintaining personal hygiene, including what it calls "self-manicure (safety awareness with nail care)."
R3 asked. R8 asked. The policy says it should happen. The aides said it doesn't.
Inspectors cited the deficiency at a level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting a small number of residents. The citation covers failure to provide care and maintain hygiene for residents' nails as part of activities of daily living.
What the inspection record does not contain is any explanation for why the gap between the Director of Nursing's stated expectations and her staff's described practice had gone unaddressed. V11's explanation, that nail care is contingent on having two aides per hallway, suggests this was not a one-time lapse. It was a workaround that had become routine, a threshold that apparently was not being met often enough for R3 to have received nail care at all.
R8 put it without ambiguity. He said he would like staff to do it. He said staff does not do it.
He was still waiting when inspectors left the room.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Aperion Care Forest Park from 2026-05-22 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
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Last verified: October 31, 2026 · Our methodology
APERION CARE FOREST PARK in FOREST PARK, IL was cited for neglect violations during a health inspection on May 22, 2026.
Inspectors visited the facility on May 19 and 20, 2026, as part of a complaint investigation.
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.