July 26, 2011

Signs and Symptoms of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Our Illinois nursing home abuse attorneys know first hand the devastating effects that result from nursing home abuse and neglect. It seems as though almost daily new reports are published or lawsuits filed on behalf of those who sustain serious injuries, sometimes even death, as a result of negligent or careless caregivers. There are many tell-tale signs of the various symptoms those who are being neglected show. These signs and symptoms include, but are not limited, to the following: malnutrition, dehydration, frequent falls, pressure sores, unexplained injuries, behavior change, overmedication, as well as the inability of the caretaker to explain the resident’s condition.

The signs of malnutrition and dehydration go hand in hand. Malnutrition results from an inadequate or unbalanced diet, while dehydration occurs when a person loses more fluids than he or she takes in. Both symptoms can result from improper nursing home care and eventually lead to more severe injuries within the body. According to SeniorHealthCare.org, malnutrition and/or dehydration commonly leads to nursing home resident’s rapid weight loss. While in many instances elderly weight loss is unavoidable, improper nourishment (whether it be food or water) is one of the most common signs of nursing home abuse.

Another unfortunately frequent symptom of nursing home abuse and neglect is pressure sores. AgedCareCrisis.com describes pressure sores (commonly referred to as “bedsores”) as an area of skin or tissue that has been injured or broken down. This occurs when a resident sits or lies in a certain position for too long without shifting weight – this pressure results in a decreased blood supply to the area. The act of negligence falls onto the nursing home when they fail to consistently reposition, as well as, clean the residents. Due to inadequate nursing home staffing and training, the frequency of pressure sores in on the rise with many being left untreated. Failure to treat pressure sores subsequently results in infection and in some cases even death.

It is a violation of both state and federal law to neglect or abuse a nursing home resident. Our attorneys at Levin & Perconti strongly recommend that any instances of abuse or neglect be reported immediately. National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform advises victims or their families to report these allegations to local authorities, nursing home administrators, or your state or local ombudsman. If you or your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse and neglect you may be able to seek legal relief for injuries sustained.

See Our Related Blog Posts:

Illinois Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect May Lead to Pressure Sores and Death

Illinois Family Obtains $500,000 Settlement Against ManorCare at Palos Heights Nursing Home

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Posted In: Abuse, Nursing Home Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

July 14, 2011

Study Reveals Black Nursing Home Residents More Likely to Develop Bed Sores

Our Chicago nursing home neglect attorneys were not surprised to learn of a study by researchers at the University of Iowa, reported on by Reuters, which found that black residents of long-term care facilities are more likely to suffer from pressure sores. The difference in care is not a result of nursing homes providing better quality care for white residents, but rather that residents were more likely to develop pressure sores in nursing homes where a majority of the residents are black. Like many types of nursing home abuse or neglect, this could be a result of understaffing or fewer resources.

The study also found that residents in predominantly black nursing homes were at least 30 percent more likely to suffer from bed sores that those in facilities with a small population of black residents. These disparities echo an investigation by the Chicago Reporter from 2009 that revealed that Chicago nursing homes where the majority of the population was African-American had much lower CMS quality ratings than facilities where the majority of residents are white. Their investigation also revealed that Illinois had the most poorly-rated African-American nursing homes in the country.

Our Chicago nursing home lawyers are all too familiar with this epidemic, having represented hundreds of families in lawsuits involving bed sores caused by nursing home negligence. Nursing home residents have a high risk for these wounds because many of them are elderly, and often wheelchair bound or bed ridden. Bed sores develop when pressure builds in an area of the body and restricts blood flow, leading to necrosis. This can be aggravated by body moisture from sweating or incontinence. Common areas for pressure sores include a person’s heels, tailbone, elbows, and shoulders. In order to prevent pressure sores from forming, nursing homes need to employ sufficient staff who can spend time examining each resident’s skin condition and also turning and repositioning residents to redistribute weight. Other preventative measures include pressure relieving mattresses, wheelchair pads and heel protectors.

Pressure sores are much easier to prevent than heal, so in order to reduce the number of nursing home deaths caused by bed sores, it is important for all facilities in Illinois-predominantly black AND white- to increase staffing and resources devoted to the prevention of pressure sores. Facilities must stress the importance of bed sore prevention and educate their staff accordingly. It is also important to try to close this gap in the quality of care between nursing homes with predominantly white and black populations.

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Posted In: Nursing Home Negligence, Pressure Ulcers, Staffing Issues

July 9, 2011

Nursing Home Attorneys File Suit Against Understaffed Facilities

All across the country, nursing homes are being run with less than the optimum number of staff. They are being understaffed in a hope to cut costs and increase profits. When nursing homes fail to properly staff their facilities, the chance of accidents and mistakes greatly increases. State and Federal laws set a minimum standard that nursing homes must comply with. The problems arise when facilities choose to ignore these government regulations.

People choose to go to nursing homes not because they want to, but because they are at a point in their lives where they need more care and attention than can otherwise be provdided to them. Many nursing home residents have been finding out that the nursing homes promise to provide them the care and treatment they need is often a fabrication. The nursing homes that choose to understaff their facilities have been rewarded with large profits by failing to provide the required number of nursing hours and as a result, patients of these homes have not received adequate care.

Some problems that can occur when a facility is understaffed are falls, pressure sores, dehydration and malnutrition, all of which stem from an overall lack of quality care and attention. It is easy to blame the staff of the nursing home when problems arise, but in reality the staff is often doing the best it can with the resources it is provided. If there are not enough staff members to provide supervision for the residents who are at risk for falls then it is likely a resident will fall, and it is no stretch of the imagination to assume that if there are not enough staff members to turn and reposition residents who are at risk for the development of pressure sores, that a resident will eventually develop pressure sores.

It is not the nurse’s fault that these injuries are occurring; a nurse can only care for so many residents at once. The facilities are setting their staff up for failure. Without adequate staffing, it is impossible for any resident to truly get the care and treatment they need. Owners of the nursing homes need to stop choosing profits over people and people need to start demanding better nursing home care.

The nursing home attorneys at Levin and Perconti have been fighting against facilities that understaff their Illinois nursing homes. Many residents of nursing homes have come to Levin and Perconti after suffering an injury, only to find out that one of the main reasons that the injury occurred was because the facility they were at was understaffed. Hopefully, the civil liability that these homes are opening themselves up to by understaffing will be enough of a deterrent to stop them from doing so in the future.

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Posted In: Bad nursing homes, Chicago Nursing Homes, Failure to supervise, Incidents, Legislation, Nursing Home Abuse, Pressure Ulcers, Staffing Issues

December 16, 2010

Nursing Home Fined For Failing To Prevent Bed Sores

The federal government has sanctioned several nursing homes for substandard treatment according to a new report. Syracuse News is reporting of fifteen facilities that have been named deficient according to an explanation of the federal inspections by the non-profit advocacy group Long Term Care Community Coalition.

The sanctions were doled out after federal inspectors found problems at the facilities. The most serious problem was many homes’ failure to provide necessary care to prevent bed sores from developing. Staff at these negligent facilities failed to properly monitor resident skin, notify doctors of potential sore problems, or provide skin treatment as ordered.

Bed sores (also known as pressure sores) are painful wounds that are caused almost exclusive by inadequate care and attention. They are formed when by the constant pressure against a bony part of the body. Blood flow into the area decreases and the ulcer forms. There varying degrees of ulcers related to the amount of breakdown caused by the pressure problem. In all cases, however, nursing homes have a duty to identify residents who are at risk for developing the problem and working to ensure that they do not develop.

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Posted In: Pressure Ulcers

June 8, 2010

Nursing Home Neglect Lawsuit Filed Against Caseyville, Illinois Facility

The Madison/St. Clair Record is reporting that nursing home lawyers have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family member of a man who died while under the home’s care. According to the article, the man suffered malnutrition, dehydration, a urinary tract infection and pressure sores in the month that he resided there. The suit alleges that the nursing home failed to provide the proper care and failed to implement a proper plan to treat his pressure ulcers. The home also failed to tell his physician when his condition changed and failed to make sure he maintained a proper body weight. As a result of these failures on behalf of the nursing home owners and staff, the victim incurred medical costs and was subject to severe pain and suffering.

Residents are susceptible to pressure sores because many people in nursing homes are immobile or completely bed-ridden. Pressure ulcers can contribute to a worsening of one’s condition and can lead to infection and even death. In the 80’s, nursing home laws such as OBRA 87 were established to create a standard of care by which all nursing home must comply. Facilities are obligated to carry out the necessary care and treatment to prevent pressure sores from forming or existing pressure sores from worsening. Despite the established standards of care, data from the National Center for Health Statistics’ National Nursing Home Survey revealed that in 2004, 11% of all nursing home residents had pressure ulcers. To combat this problem, it is important for nursing homes to employ every possible tactic to prevent pressure sores from forming in the first place. To learn more about this Illinois nursing home lawsuit, follow the link.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Pressure Ulcers

June 1, 2010

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: The Problem with Pressure Sores

Pressure-related injuries are a common problem in elderly residents living in nursing homes, due to the fact that many nursing home residents are immobile or have limited mobility. Oftentimes, these residents cannot turn themselves on a regular basis or reposition themselves easily. When a person stays in one position for a signficant period of time, the constant pressure cuts off circulation and this causes tissue to die. The most common areas that pressure sores form are on a person's elbows, sacrum, hips, ankles and heels. According to a Center for Disease Control study that surveyed over 1500 nursing homes in 2004, with the findings released in 2009, over eleven percent of all nursing home residents suffered from a pressure sore of some stage.

It is easier to prevent a pressure sore than to treat one that has already formed. Therefore, it is crucial for nursing home staff to employ measures to prevent residents from forming sores in the first place. When a nursing home resident is admitted to a facility, they are assessed to determine their risk for bed sores. If a resident is deemed to be at high-risk for developing pressure sores, nursing home staff members must develop a plan to address this risk and implement the plan accordingly in order to prevent sores.

If a resident is at-risk, a nursing home should perform daily skin-checks to monitor the resident's skin integrity to determine whether the resident's skin is intact. A nursing home may also use devices, such as pressure-relieving pads and mattresses, to reduce pressure to bony prominences. In addition to devices, nursing home staff must turn and reposition at-risk residents every few hours and ensure that their skin is clean and dry. Moisture and unsanitary conditions increase the chances of developing sores, so it is important for staff to clean residents thoroughly after bladder or bowel movements and make sure the area is completely dry. Residents must also stay well-nourished and hydrated. Malnutrition heightens the risk for pressure ulcers and slows the healing process.

Although nursing home staff members should be well-trained to address a resident's risk, residents often fall victim to pressure sores. If not identified and treated in a timely manner, pressure sores can worsen and become infected. In many instances, residents die of complications when their blood becomes infected as a result of a pressure sore. If a nursing home takes all the proper steps to prevent and treat pressure sores and one still forms, it may have been unavoidable. However, sometimes nursing home staff members and physicians fail to follow the standard of care for treating at-risk residents. When a resident suffers injury or death as a result of a nursing home negligence, the facility may be held liable for its actions.

Illinois nursing home residents who have suffered serious pressure sores and related injury or death in facilities throughout the state may be entitled to seek compensation for their suffering. If you have a loved one living in an Illinois nursing home who has developed pressure ulcers, it is important to first seek medical treatment of the wounds. If you believe that the injuries are a result of neglect, contact a nursing home lawyer to discuss your potential claim. Our experienced team is happy to evaluate your claim and advise you on your legal options.

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Posted In: Nursing Home Abuse, Nursing Home Care Act (NHCA), Pressure Ulcers

April 16, 2010

Nursing Home Lawsuit Filed After Victim Develops Pressure Ulcers

A victim of nursing home neglect has filed a lawsuit after she experienced unnecessary pain from a pressure sore on her lower backside. The pressure ulcer had grown to the width of a grapefruit and was an inch deep, according to The Arizona Daily Star. Additionally, the bedsore had eaten through muscle and bone on the victim’s body. The victim has since filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the nursing home.

The resulting pressure sore may have been the result of poor staffing levels. This also may have contributed to a wheelchair fall that the victim sustained, causing her head, arm and leg wounds. After this fail she was transferred to a medical hospital. The severely infected pressure sores that she developed caused her sepsis and eventually her death. The victim’s family is contending that if she would have been adequately turned and repositioned that her pressure sores would have been prevented or minimized. This would have most likely minimized the risk of infection. To read more about this specific pressure ulcer case, please click the link.

Pressure ulcers are much easier to prevent than to heal. Therefore, nursing homes most check a patient’s skin several times a day and make sure it is dry. It is also imperative that a nursing home patient’s skin be kept clean. This can be done with a mild soap and warm water. Nursing home employees should also gently pat the skin dry. To learn more about the causes of pressure sores, please check out the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

April 9, 2010

Pressure Ulcers Too Common in Nursing Homes

Pressure ulcers have become all too commonplace in nursing homes and can be not only bothersome for patients but deadly as well. The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel has come up with many ways to treat pressure sores early. One of the main suggestions that they have is to properly educate those who are dealing with the elderly. Information should include risk factors and skin treatment.

First they suggest that you should inspect the skin daily and document any results. They also suggest that individualizes bathe frequently, but make sure to avoid hot water. The committee suggests treating incontinence. When this cannot be controlled, the skin should be cleansed at the time of soling. Then there should be a topical moisture barrier that should be applied. A dry lubrication such as cornstarch can be used to reduce friction of the skin.

In order to prevent pressure ulcers, the patient should be repositioned every 2 hours. If that patient is in a wheelchair than you should reposition them every hour. Nursing home employees have should teach wheelchair-bound patients to shift their weights every 15 minutes. The use of pillows or foam wedges will keep boney prominences such as ankles and knees to come into direct contact with each other. All nursing homes should do pressure ulcer risk assessments on their patients. The nursing home patients should consider postural alignment and distribution of weight when positioning those in wheelchairs. These include risk factors include mental status, moisture, incontinence and nutritional deficits. To learn more about pressure ulcers, please click the link.

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Posted In: Pressure Ulcers

March 19, 2010

Reports of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in Facility Near Chicago

Recently the Northlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in northwest Indiana has found itself in some trouble. Residents and their facility members have filed complaints depicting horrors that sound unbelievable in today’s modern age. These include patients who have visible bedsores that have progressed to the need for amputation. The staff covered up the bedsores with bandages whenever the family visited so that they were unaware of the horrific nature. The Post Tribune reported that the Indiana Department of Health has gone so far as to suspend the nursing home’s license. The issue came to a height when the state issued an emergency closure for the home. The nursing home is owned by Eric Rothner and his Evanston, Illinois company, Extended Care Clinical. The company owns three other nursing homes in Indiana in addition to a number of Illinois nursing homes.

Many of the complaints and nursing home lawsuits point to a breakdown in patient care. They cite high employee turnover at all levels including the administrator a director of nursing. Countless studies have showed that nursing homes with high employee turnover oftentimes are culprits of nursing home negligence. Well-trained and sufficient nursing home staff should be the top priority for all owners. The article in the Post Tribune notes that one former employee believes that Rothner buys the failing nursing homes at low prices and then struggles to fill the homes with residents. This situation leads to the administrators being unselective in who comes into the homes and merely looking to fill the beds for profits. To read more about the nursing home closure or the reportednursing home abuse, please follow the links.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Bad nursing homes, Extended Care Clinical, Pressure Ulcers

February 21, 2010

Pressure Sores Are Problems to Watch for According to Chicago, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

Nursing home residents are more likely to get pressure ulcers because many are immobile. A pressure ulcer is an injury to the skin that is the result of constant pressure due to impaired mobility. They are commonly referred to as bed sores or pressure sores and result from reduced blood flow. They can cause cell death, skin breakdown and the development of an open wound. They are likely to appear in those who are wheelchair or bed-bound. Common sites include the sacrum, back, buttocks, heels, back of the head and elbows. Pressure ulcers can cause serious infections, such as MRSA, and even become life threatening.

The skin must be kept clean and moisturized in order to avoid pressure sores. Also, the body must be changing positions constantly. A healthy diet will help decrease the chances of bedsores. The nursing home must make sure that staff is constantly repositioning patients in order to avoid bedsores. This becomes difficult when a nursing home is understaffed. Early treatment works the best when it comes to pressure ulcers so pressure sores should always be addressed early. If not, the resident may need surgery to treat the wound.

The Chicago nursing home lawyers at Levin & Perconti handle many cases involving nursing home residents who have suffered serious pressure ulcers. If you believe that a loved one has suffered a serious pressure sore due to negligence in an Illinois nursing home, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your legal options. To learn more about pressure ulcers, please follow the link to access information from the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Posted In: Pressure Ulcers

February 13, 2010

Studies Show that Too Many Elderly Patients with Dementia Get Feeding Tubes

Studies show that larger hospitals and for profit nursing homes are more likely to use feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia. This contradicts with the evidence that feeding tubes does not prolong life nor do they help with bed sores and other problems. Research shows that most people and family members of people with dementia would rather die than receive a feeding tube. However, according to research, one-third of nursing home residents with advanced dementia have feeding tubes. Two-thirds of these tubes were inserted during an acute-care hospitalization. On average, feeding tubes were placed in 7.9 per 100 patients. Nursing homes have added incentives to send patients to hospitals because someone else will pay for their developing problems. These problems include bed sores and low caloric intake. Families and patients should consider all the options before allowing a feeding tube.

The Chicago nursing home lawyers of Levin & Perconti have seen the problems that feeding tubes can create. In January of this year, Steven Levin and Margaret Battersby filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit against the Renaissance at 87th. This nursing home had failed to properly care for a woman’s gastic feeding tubes. Complications were so severe that the woman died one day after being transferred to the hospital. Attorney Levin noted that this was once again an example of a nursing home putting profits before patient care. If you or a loved one has had difficulties with a nursing home and feeding tubes, please consult a Chicago lawyer. To read more about the feeding tube study, please click the link.

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Posted In: Residents and Family Members, Pressure Ulcers, Renaissance Nursing Homes Abuse and Neglect, Useful publications

January 15, 2010

Nursing Home Company to Pay Criminal and Civil Penalties

A nursing home company who left some residents’ pressure wounds untreated for so long that maggots infested the wounds are now required to pay civil and criminal fines. The US attorney’s office also stated that the staff did not bathe, adequately feed or provide toileting for people. Most importantly the company cheated Medicare. The company, Cathedral Rock, and its founder will pay the government more than $1.6 million in criminal and civil penalties. Even though the company admitted defrauding Medicare and Medicaid by submitting false statements, they will continue to receive taxpayer healthcare payments. The nursing home lawsuit concerned five homes. There were allegations of maggot-infested pressure sores and related amputated feet and legs. The executive vice president said he was unaware of these allegations. However, the company did admit that wound care was sometimes not provided. To read further into the companies foes, please click the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

January 10, 2010

Chicago Nursing Home Lawyers Reach Record Settlement Against Coles County Home

The Chicago nursing home lawyers at Levin & Perconti recently reached the largest nursing home settlement in a case against a nursing home in Coles, County IL. The Prairie View Center in Charleston, IL and a doctor agreed to pay $700,000 to the family of a 43-year-old victim who died from injuries he suffered while he was a resident a the nursing home. The victim was admitted to Prairie View Care Center on March 19, 2002. He suffered from severe cognitive impairments and was dependent on the nursing home staff for all of is daily activities. His impairments also made him unable to communicate his needs to the nursing home staff. In the two months he spent in the nursing home before he was discharged he developed a massive infected stage IV bedsore on his sacrum. The pressure wound was so deep that his sacral bone was visible. This caused his overall condition to deteriorate and he was hospitalized. Six months later he died after his inability to bounce back from the pressure wound. Nursing home lawyer Michael Bonamarte stated the nursing home failed to prevent the progression of the victim’s sacral pressure sore, and he eventually died from complications related to his injury. In 2006, Prairie View Care Center was bought by new owners who changed the name of the nursing home. Chicago attorney Steven Levin stated that it is common for nursing home owners to own multiple nursing homes, many of which are far from where they are located. Without oversight nursing homes administrators are not in touch with the day-to-day happenings in the nursing home. This causes nursing home abuse to go unnoticed.

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Posted In: Client Tell Extras, Illinois Nursing Homes, Incidents, Levin & Perconti in the News, Nursing Home Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

January 7, 2010

Family Files Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit

A family has filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit claiming that the 51-year-old wrongfully died as a result of the nursing home abuse. The family alleges that the victim was abused while residing at the nursing home. They also allege the nursing home left her malnourished. The nursing home did not properly treat her wounds, leaving her to rot to death. The woman was suffering from cerebral palsy and mental disabilities when a relative placed her in the nursing home. The nursing home abuse lawsuit states that the victim rotted to death as a result of the facility owners. Supposedly the nursing home employees actively hid the victim’s physical condition by wrapping her in blankets and a toboggan to cover her ears and face. A nurse is quoted in the lawsuit stating that “the staff failed to provide adequate and appropriate care, treatment and services.” The victim developed bedsores and smelled of urine. This type of nursing home abuse is deplorable and all nursing homes should ensure that this kind of abuse never occurs. To read into the nursing home abuse lawsuit, please click the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Nursing Home Abuse, Pressure Ulcers, Wrongful Death

January 4, 2010

Nursing Home agrees to pay $19 Million in Damages for Patient Neglect

A Brooklyn nursing home will have to pay nearly $19 million in damages to the family of a 76-year-old patient neglected so badly that he left the home with more than 20 bedsores. The award was handed down by a jury and is the first in the state to include punitive damages. The men entered the nursing home weighing 237 pounds and left to go to the hospital weighing a mere 148 pounds. The man wrongfully died from an infection caused by the bedsores. The panel awarded $3.75 million for the victim’s pain and suffering and tacked on $15 million in punitive damages. This was based on the allegation that the nursing home had doctored records to try to cover up the nursing home neglect. It appears that the nursing home restrained the Alzheimer’s-stricken victim to keep him from wandering off. They then left him unattended for long periods. Medical standards require that bedridden or restrained patients be moved every two hours to prevent such bedsores, and that the home only moved her every four hours. To learn more about the pressure ulcers, please click the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

December 8, 2009

Illinois Nursing Home Blamed for Resident’s Sepsis

A woman wrongfully died after employees at an Illinois nursing home allowed her pressure sores to deteriorate, which caused sepsis to flow throughout her blood. Her relatives have now filed a nursing home lawsuit in St. Clair County Court against Caseyville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Caseyville Property. At the time of the victim’s admission, she had three stage II pressure sores on her buttocks and one pressure sore on each of her heels. However, by the time of her discharge from the rehabilitation center she had three stage IV pressure sores on her buttocks and multiple pressure sores on her heels. She sustained personal injures which led to the development and deterioration of her pressure sores on her buttocks and bilateral heels which led to the sepsis throughout her bloodstream. She wrongfully died due to sepsis and acute respiratory failure. The nursing home negligence lawsuit claims that before her death she experienced severe pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress and loss of dignity. To read more about the Illinois nursing home lawsuit, check out the story.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Nursing Home Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

December 1, 2009

Illinois Jury Declares Nursing Home Neglect

A jury found that Rosewood Care Center of Joliet, Illinois was responsible for the death of an elderly resident. The victim died after suffering a huge bedsore that ate through her skin to the bone. The jury awarded $51,000 to the victim of the nursing home neglect. The victim died at age 88 after undergoing a procedure to remove bedsores and treat bone infections brought on by her confinement to her bed and her exposure to urine and other bodily fluids during her care. The victim has a hole in her backside the size of a fist. The bedsore was the contributing factor in the victim’s death. If you would like to read more about the nursing home verdict, please click the link.

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Posted In: Illinois Nursing Homes, Incidents, Pressure Ulcers, Verdicts and Settlements

October 20, 2009

Nursing Home Faces Wrongful-death Lawsuit

A nursing home was named in a $32.5 million wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of a deceased woman. The administrator of her estate is suing both the nursing home and the former nursing home administrator. The woman, who had been in the care of the nursing home, was admitted to a hospital shortly before her death with multiple infected sores on her body. The nursing home negligence lawsuit claims that a sore on her left ankle became infected and grew deep enough to expose bone. Complications from the wound are believed to have caused her wrongful death. The lawsuit also alleges that the victim’s family was never told about the infected sore or other lesions that formed. The woman had a high risk for pressure ulcers and the nursing home was supposed to reposition her every two hours. This is the third nursing home abuse lawsuit filed against the nursing home in a year. One of the other lawsuits involved bed sores as well. To read more about the nursing home negligence lawsuit, please click the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Pressure Ulcers

September 28, 2009

Nursing Homes are Allowed to Avoid Insurance

In 2007 a nursing home patient developed a pressure sore shortly after arriving at a nursing home. Inside Bay Area stated that once the pressure ulcer began to fester, he wasn’t moved, washed, monitored or treated with antiseptic. The bedsore erupted and surgeons had to remove his tailbone because the wound had festered without treatment. The infection ate away at the bone through to the marrow. The man is now suing the nursing home for nursing home abuse. However, the victim most likely won’t see more than a token settlement from the nursing home because the nursing home is not required to carry liability insurance. The amount of the nursing home abuse settlement he is likely to receive will most likely not be able to cover the cost of care that the victim needs. The homes can register as separate corporate entities, which is a common way to shield themselves and their profits. AARP spokesman Mark Beach said that every responsible business should have liability insurance, especially nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. To read more about the liability insurance, please click the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Legislation, Pressure Ulcers

September 15, 2009

Woman dies in Nursing Home as a result of an Infected Bedsore

A family has filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit after their mother died of an infected bedsore wound. The 73-year-old woman went to the nursing home hoping that it would be a temporary place of healing for her fractured arm. When she tried to leave the nursing home, she was denied an exit because she had a fatal wound. However, she had developed a bedsore due to nursing home negligence. Two years later she was still in the nursing home with court documents citing a dreadful bedsore wound. The woman’s daughter has now filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit claiming that the nursing home care staff was too busy to manage their mother’s basic needs. The bedsore had developed over her spinal cord and had darkened due to an infection. The doctors at the nursing home attempted to clean the pressure wound, while the victim writhed and yelled in excruciating pain. She then died shortly after. To read more about the bedsore, please click the link.

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Posted In: National Nursing Homes, Abuse, Pressure Ulcers, Wrongful Death

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