Our Philadelphia Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers hold nursing homes accountable for injuries and deaths sustained by their residents as a result of negligence / neglect. Every year in the United States, a large number of nursing home residents suffer debilitating injuries or die due to the neglect or abuse of:
- staff
- nurses
- certified nursing assistants (CNAs)
- doctors
State and federal regulations govern nursing home standards. Despite this, neglect and abuse occur on a regular basis throughout the U.S. Nursing homes and their employees can be liable for both emotional and physical injuries resulting from their abuse.
Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer Services
Nursing Home Neglect is the negligent failure to provide the services necessary to a resident’s well-being, safety, and health, including adequate:
- food
- shelter
- supervision
- security
- social and physical stimulation
- medical care
In addition to physical harm, neglect can also cause leave emotional scars and reduce an elderly person’s quality of life, leaving tell-tale signs such as:
- depression
- lethargy
- reduced appetite, and
- other marks of hopelessness
Staffing Problems
Neglect due to inadequate staffing and poorly screened or trained staff leads to a large percentage of cases handled by Philadelphia Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers. To increase profits, many for-profit homes skimp on staffing costs. (These problems may also occur in non-profit homes.)
Common instances of neglect caused by staffing issues include:
- bed sores caused by leaving patients in one position for too long a time
- malnutrition and dehydration caused by failing to help residents with meals
- injuries sustained in falls when staff fail to assist residents in and out of bed, baths, and wheelchairs
- injuries sustained when poorly supervised residents leave the premises
- injuries caused when staff fail to respond to call buttons or alarms
Medical Malpractice
Medical negligence or neglect is another frequent cause of residents’ injuries and deaths. The negligent failure to diagnose and treat patients’ illnesses, conditions, and diseases is Common examples of this type of neglect are:
- inadequate treatment
- medication mistakes
Competent medical treatment can prevent serious bed sore effects. Poorly treated sores may progress to deep wounds. These wounds may reach bones or internal organs and lead to:
- severe infection
- possible limb loss, or
- death
Serious injuries may also occur when a nurse carelessly gives a patient:
- the wrong medicine
- the wrong dose of a medicine, or
- medicine at the wrong intervals
Understaffing of nurses and inadequate nurses’ training often cause these types of medication errors.
Poor Nutrition
Providing residents with inadequate nutrition is another common form of nursing home neglect that can have many serious effects, including:
- malnutrition
- dehydration
- weakness
- disorientation
- infections
- falls
- pressure sores
- impaired immunity
Malnutrition and dehydration, alone, may cause a patient’s death.
Falls
Our Philadelphia Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers often represent residents who sustained injuries in falls. Falls are a frequent occurrence in nursing homes across the U.S. According to the CDC, at least 1,800 nursing home residents die each year from falls, alone.
These falls often occur when staff members leave residents alone for too long. Residents who cannot find anyone to help them may try to do things on their own. Negligent maintenance of nursing home premises accounts for a large percentage of additional falls. These may be due to inadequate:
- lighting in rooms and hallways
- railings and other assistance devices in rooms and hallways
- clean up of spills on floors
- repair of walking surfaces
- walkers and other mobility devices
An elderly person’s fall can cause serious and painful injuries, including:
- hip, back, neck, and other fractures
- brain damage
- spinal cord damage
- organ damage
- paralysis
- death