The 97-year-old, wheelchair-bound patient was wheeling herself back to her room at Rex Convalescent Care Center after her Sunday lunch when she went through the wrong door and plummeted six feet off a loading dock.
Tom Ford, Administrator of Rex Convalescent Care Center, said the resident was found at the rear service delivery entrance by a staff member.
"The staff immediately took care of her, and called EMS," Ford said. "We have been conducting an internal analysis, looking at all the facts."
The woman was taken to WakeMed early Tuesday morning and was listed in critical condition with a fractured skull.
Rex Convalescent has filed a report with the state'sDivision of Facilities Services.
The DFS cannot comment on the case, even if it has launched an investigation.
Phyllis Thorne, Deputy Licensing Chief, said DFS recommended a fine for the Rex Convalescent Care Center after an incident in March when a resident suffered a hip fracture.
"We obviously felt that the nursing home could have prevented that fall from happening in some manner," Thorne said.
The DFS says in the past year it has recommended fines for seven percent of the 400 nursing homes it supervises, one of which is the Rex Convalescent Center.
During an inspection in September, the Rex Convalescent Center was cited for five deficiencies.
However, the number and severity of deficiencies was not above normal.
You can get useful information to compare nursing homes in your area by calling1-800-624-3004.
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