What is Nursing Home Abuse?
If a patient has been injured as a result of negligent care while living and being taken care of at a nursing home or residential care facility, it is called Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect. Nursing home abuse is a form of medical negligence. The common cause of Nursing home abuse is failure to turn or move immobile patients, failure to bathe patients, failure to supervise patients, failure to monitor nutrition, hydration/dehydration, reduced staff-patient ratios.
Signs of Possible Abuse
They are: Change in behaviour, Bruising or bleeding, Emotional withdrawal, Bed sores or decubitus ulcers, Unknown fractures, Loss of weight, Neglect or dirty living conditions, Loss of energy, Financial problems, Physical pain, Infections.
Common type of Nursing Home Injuries
- Medication errors, which may include prescribing or administering the wrong medication, the wrong dose or prescribing medications without consideration for potential drug interactions.
- Nursing home falls due to lack of supervision, environmental hazards or dropping a patient during transport.
- Physical abuse. This heinous offense can lead to both criminal and civil litigation.
- Assisted living accidents occurring during hospice care, home nursing or at day care centers.
- Choking accidents due to lack of supervision or failure to assist patients with a choking risk.
- Wheelchair accidents occurring while helping a patient into or out of a wheelchair or during transit.
- Evidence of physical restraint or the use of drugs or chemicals to subdue a patient.
- Broken bones or fractures suffered due to an accident.
- Untimely or wrongful death.
Nursing Home Neglect - Falls
Although certain nursing home falls are the result of human error or misjudgment on the part of nursing home workers, some are the result of a callous and careless disregard for patient safety.
Regardless of when an individual falls, if the accident might have been avoided, the nursing home is responsible for compensating the injured patient.
The primary causes of nursing home falls are: Lack of Supervision, Environmental Hazards, Falling while entering or exiting chairs.
Injuries sustained in nursing home falls are : Fractures and shattered bones, Internal injuries, Traumatic brain injuries.
Nursing Home Neglect - Medication Errors
In nursing homes, medication errors are among the most easily preventable accidents, and the majority of these errors are the product of systematic incompetence or a lack of attention to detail. When there is a multilayered system in place to avoid these accidents, there is no reason for administering the incorrect drugs or doses to patients. While the majority of injuries are minor, certain patients can experience catastrophic harm simply because those in charge of their treatment did not do their due diligence.
Nursing Home Neglect – Malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when patients do not receive adequate nutrition due to an inadequate or unbalanced diet. This can happen due to a lack of food or a lack of variety. When nursing home residents consistently receive incorrect portions or irregular feeding schedules, serious medical complications can develop.
Signs of malnutrition are: Confusion, Tooth decay, Dry skin, Bloated abdomen, Decreased organ function, Mental decline and Memory loss, Fragile bones, Muscle loss, Weakness. Swollen and/or bleeding gums, Dizziness, Fatigue, Weight loss.
What Must Be Proven to Win a Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit
To win a nursing home abuse lawsuit, you must show that a doctor, nurse, or other member of the staff failed to behave in the same way as their peers would have, and that this failure to fulfil the duty of care was the direct cause of your injuries.
Negligence is described as a violation of a duty of care, and it is the foundation of the entire case. It will require the testimony of an expert who will show the court how nursing staff members could have behaved and where they failed to meet their obligations in order to argue that your loved one's injuries were caused by the nursing facility.
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