The decision to put a loved one in a nursing home is a difficult one to make. Often, however, it’s the only way to ensure that elderly relatives get the medical care and daily support they need to live the rest of their years in peace and comfort. Yet, sometimes, those twilight years end all too abruptly because of the actions or inaction of nursing home staff. If your loved one died while in a nursing home, and you believe nursing home negligence contributed to their death, you might be entitled to compensation for your emotional suffering, funeral costs, and associated expenses. Contact the personal injury attorneys at Wapner Newman to request a free case consultation: 1-800-529-6600.
How Wrongful Death Occurs
Negligence in nursing home care can cause just as much harm to residents as outright physical abuse. When a nursing home is short-staffed, workers may be more likely to make serious mistakes at work, and the staff might not have the resources to adequately monitor residents. The types of mistakes that can be extremely harmful or fatal to residents include:- Prescribing an incorrect dosage of medication
- Allowing a cognitively impaired resident to wander outside of the premises
- Failure to monitor and adequately treat a medical condition
- Failure to provide residents with proper nutrition and hydration
- Failure to protect residents from violent visitors.
- The Manor at Susquehanna Village, in Mechanicsburg, Pa., received a fine for failing to ensure the safety of air mattresses used in conjunction with side rails; that failure caused one resident’s death, due to entrapment between the mattress and side rail.
- Inspectors fined Forbes Center for Rehab and Healthcare, in Pittsburgh, Pa., for failing to complete physician-ordered neurological assessments, resulting in the death of one resident due to a brain hemorrhage.
- Crawford County Care Center, in Saegertown, Pa., was cited for failing to notify a physician of a change in a resident’s condition, which resulted in that resident’s death.
- Hempfield Manor, of Greensburg, Pa., was cited for failing to ensure the safety of air mattresses used in conjunction with side rails; unsafe conditions caused a resident to fall from the bed, suffer a hip fracture, and die two days later due to physiological stress and cardiopulmonary failure.