Nursing Home Staff Blamed for Resident’s Tragic Death

 Posted on November 01, 2018 in Nursing Home Abuse

Studies suggest that over half of all Americans will need to stay in a long-term care facility like a nursing home at least once in their life. For some, a nursing home or assisted living facility becomes their new permanent home. Whether their stay is for one night or for the rest of their lives, residents in a nursing home deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. Their medical needs as well as personal needs should be met to the best of the nursing home’s ability. Various federal and local laws spell out the rights that elderly or disabled people staying in a nursing home have. Tragically, not every nursing home treats residents the way they deserve. Sometimes nursing home abuse and neglect can even lead to an innocent resident’s death.

Nurse Faces Gross Patient Neglect and Forgery Charges

There is much controversy about the role of nursing home staff in taking care of residents. When a resident dies under suspicious or unusual circumstances, it can often be difficult to pinpoint exactly who is to blame. The question of fault is now being considered in a nursing home neglect and abuse case in Ohio. In Putnam County, a trial has begun for a licensed practical nurse who has been blamed for the death of a 76-year-old nursing home resident. Phyllis Campbell passed away due to hypothermia at the Hilty Memorial Nursing Home after she wandered out the doors of the facility and into the courtyard.

Unmonitored Nursing Home Residents May Wander Off into Dangerous Environments

Many elderly nursing home residents have cognitive impairments which make them unable to care for themselves. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are common ailments among the nursing home resident population. Individuals like these often require special care and supervision so that they do not stumble into danger. Campbell was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet when she wandered outside of the nursing home walls and tragically died, but it was improperly attached and it malfunctioned. Because the bracelet did not work as intended, no alarm sounded after the elderly woman eloped. Staff admitted they never checked in on the resident even though a check-in was documented as completed.

In May, two nursing aides were indicted for their role in Campbell’s death. The two young women plead guilty to charges of forgery and gross patient neglect. They were both sentenced to 60 days in county jail, five years of probation, and 100 hours of community service.

Have You or a Loved One Suffered Due to Negligence at a Long-Term Care Facility?

Contact an experienced Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect attorney if your loved one has suffered at the hands of nursing home staff. For a free consultation at Schwartz Injury Law, call us today at 312-535-4625.

Sources:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/24/nursing-home-resident-hypothermia/1063159001/

https://www.rand.org/news/press/2017/08/28/index1.html

https://www.limaohio.com/news/298452/three-face-charges-in-womans-death-at-pandora-nursing-home