Little Rock Personal Injury Lawyer - Nursing Home

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Frank Bailey — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:08:44 GMT

America has to face the growing problem of caring for our frail elderly. All too often, our loved ones are mistreated and abused by underpaid overworked nursing home staff. It is time Americans address this horrendous problem by bringing to light the abuse anytime it is found.

Just today I read about a terrible case of abuse and neglect that occurred in California. The article reminded me of a case that occurred here in Arkansas not too long ago. The article related the story of a wonderful man who suffered a stroke. Unable to care for him herself, his wife placed him in a nursing home that cost $75,000 a year. Apparently someone became frustrated and wrapped a towel around his head until he died from lack of oxygen.

I hope the family will get to the bottom of this terrible case and save others from the same fate.
Over the years, our firm has had the privilege of representing the victims of nursing home abuse and neglect to right these terrible wrongs. We hope we have done just a little to make life better for those loved ones who are still being cared for in homes.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home Neglect and Elder Abuse.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Pressure Sores in Nursing Home Residents

Frank Bailey — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:44:13 GMT

Our frail elderly population is at risk to develop pressure sores in a nursing home environment unless certain rules and protocol are followed by the nursing home staff. Although most pressure sores can be prevented, far too many residents of nursing homes develop pressure sores which go untreated, leading to serious injury, infection and in severe cases death.

In hospitals, the incidence of pressure ulcers ranged from 2.7 percent to 29.5 percent in recent studies. Among persons in skilled care and nursing home-type facilities, prevalence of pressure ulcers was found to be 23 percent.
Certain goals must be followed in order to lessen the incidence of pressure sores:
Goal: Identify at-risk individuals needing prevention and the specific factors placing them at risk. These factors include immobility, incontinence, nutritional factors such as inadequate dietary intake and impaired nutritional status, and altered level of consciousness.
Goal: Protect against adverse effects of external mechanical forces...pressure, friction, and shear. Individuals in bed assessed to be a risk for developing pressure ulcers should be repositioned at least every 2 hours if consistent with overall patient goals. A written schedule for systematically turning and repositioning the individual should be used.
Goal: Reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers through educational programs. An educational program for prevention of pressure ulcers should include information on etiology and risk factors, risk assessment tools and their application, skin assessment, selection and/or use of support surfaces, development and implementation of an individualized program of skin care, demonstration of positioning to decrease risk of tissue breakdown, and instruction on accurate documentation of pertinent data.
Families of nursing home residents must be continually vigilant to protect their loved ones from developing pressure. At the first sign of a red spot on skin, the staff should be notified and appropriate measured taken to prevent further injury. Early intervention by an attorney skilled in nursing home cases of abuse and neglect is often the best tact for families who suspect abuse or neglect.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home and Elder Abuse.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

How To Discover Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect

Frank Bailey — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:25:23 GMT

Nursing home abuse and neglect continues to turn our stomachs. When corporations put profit over people, our country is in a sad state. Our government appears to have little ability to end this problem. It is time for the families of nursing home victims of abuse and neglect to take a stand. Attorneys who are trained in nursing home cases can help to bring the abusive homes to their feet.

Over the years we have allowed greed to invade the corporate structure in America. We read about CEO's who make millions with golden parachutes while the workers, the people who do the work, only get minimum wages.

What are the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect? A bad odor is a good place to start. If the home doesn't keep the residents clean, that is a sign of more serious abuse and neglect. Call lights unanswered for long periods of time because there is not enough staff to provide the care needed is another sign. It is up to a resident's family to be vigilant and at the first sign of nursing home abuse and neglect contact an attorney trained in nursing home abuse and neglect.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home and Elder Abuse.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Wrongful Death Case Filed Against Parkview Nursing Home

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:54:12 GMT

A family is suing a Kentucky nursing home for wrongful death. It is the second wrongful death case brought against the same home in a month. The family alleges the man suffered nursing home abuse when he was in the care of the Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in 2005.

He accuses Parkview of accelerating Young's physical deterioration "beyond that caused by the normal aging process" by injuring him with poor hygiene, causing a skin tear on his arm, bruising him, "rough handling" him and, among other things, failing to notify Young's physician and family about his refusal of care.
Through various alleged acts of negligence, Lucas claims that officials at Good Shepherd caused Young to suffer with significant weight loss of 17 pounds in one month, infections, sepsis (blood poisoning caused by infection) pressure sores, abuse, Pneumonia, malnutrition, skin tears during transfers and a wound on his penis that was not treated.

The attorney for the family maintains that the nursing home did not have enough staff to handle the number of patients. The nursing home did not have a comment about the lawsuit.

If you would like to read more about nursing home abuse, please visit InjuryBoard's Nursing Home & Elder Abuse information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann