Nursing Homes Abuse Blog
A Prime Example Of How Not To Treat An Injured Nursing Home Patient.... Ignoring Them
I've got a confession to make. Sometimes when I'm in my office I make personal calls. Sometimes I even take time away from my day to forward email chains of perverted jokes to friends.&nbs...
Keep reading »In order to maintain the highest degree of functioning, nursing homes must provide individualized care for each patient. Facilities must invest the necessary time, effort and resources to assure the medical, personal and psychological needs of their patients are met.
When nursing homes fail to meet the physical and emotional needs of each patient, patients begin to suffer unnecessary injuries or even death. Nursing home neglect is a term that describes many frequently encountered problems facing nursing home patients.
Chronic Nursing Home Neglect: This refers to an ongoing situation in which the staff fails to provide care to patients over an extended period of time – days, weeks, months, even years. Situations involving chronic neglect are reflective of a systematic problem at the facility, where shift after shift of nursing home employees fails to provide necessary care to patients in need.
- Bed Sores – Failure to keep the patient clean, to change soiled linens after an episode of incontinence, and to re-position patients on a regular basis may contribute to the development of bed sores (also referred to as pressure sores, pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers).
- Dehydration – An inability to perceive thirst, or anxiety over going to the toilet, are two of the common factors that contribute to dehydration of nursing home patients. Staff must keep track of patients’ fluid intake and output.
- Malnutrition – We all know food is a basic requirement to keep our bodies functioning properly. Yet, when inappropriate foods (such as solid foods) are given to patients who cannot eat them, or no staff assistance is provided to patients who are unable to feed themselves, serious health problems may develop.
Acute Nursing Home Neglect: This refers to more isolated situations where a staff member’s carelessness or ignorance result in harm to the patient. Many acute neglect events result in severe injuries to patients who are the most dependent on caregivers or unable to perceive harm themselves. Acute injuries involving nursing home neglect may include:
- Repeated falls
- Choking
- Injuries sustained during transfer to or from wheelchair and bed
- Burns
- Unsanitary living conditions
- Failure to administer medication
- Untreated health problems
- Failure to supervise patients
- Wandering
- Bed rail entrapment
Nursing Homes’ Duty To Protect Patients
In many circumstances, the specific care violations may not be apparent until a lawsuit against a nursing home has been initiated. If your loved one has suffered an unknown injury, severe physical decline or perhaps a mysterious death, you may be entitled to pursue a claim for the resulting damages.
Related Material From Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers:
The family of a 97-year-old Washington nursing home patient has received $3.5 million under the terms of a settlement related to a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit stems from neglectful care at Everett Rehabilitation and Care Center over the course of several months in 2007 when staff at the facility failed to provide medical treatment to a man– whose penis literally deteriorated to the point that his genitalia was nothing more than a wound.
According to documents related to an investigation by the Washington Department of Health, the man was originally admitted to the facility in 2004 in order to spend time with his wife who was already a patient at the facility. In November, 2007 a nurse documented a sore on the man’s penis and gave the report to a manager at the facility who failed to take any action or provide any further care…. (continue reading via the link above)
Yesterday, I was reviewing the chart of a 70-year-old lady who resident who died in a Chicago nursing home. The lady who died from complications following a severe burn on her leg due to contact with a wall-mounted radiator.
An investigation by state nursing home investigators verified that the woman’s bed was jammed so close to the radiator that it had repeatedly come in contact with the bed, mattress and the woman’s body (there were several burns noted on her right side). Despite the facilities own documentation of problems due to keeping the bed too close to the radiator, the bed was kept in place for months before the woman sustained a severe burn…. (continue reading via the link above)
A Midwestern heat-wave is likely to blame for the death of a 69-year-old man at a Wisconsin nursing home. Though no official cause of death has been established, prolonged heat exposure appears to be primary cause of the man’s death. WISN.com is reporting that emergency personnel were called to Sunrise Care Center, after the man was discovered by staff sitting unresponsive in his wheelchair.
Apparently, the physically disabled man had been brought outside by staff at the facility earlier in the day and remained outside in the 97-degree heat for more than three hours….(continue reading via the link above)