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Recent Blog Posts
Inadequate Sanitation Can Lead to Dangerous Illnesses in Nursing Homes
When people think about nursing home and neglect, images of overmedicated or malnourished residents may come to mind. However, nursing home neglect is not always this obvious. In fact, one of the least visible forms of nursing home negligence is also one of the most dangerous. The problem of inadequate sanitation may not be immediately obvious, but it can have deadly consequences for residents. When nursing home staff do not keep the facility clean, viruses and bacteria can spread rapidly endangering the lives of the residents who call the facility home.
Residents Are Vulnerable to Illness and Infection
Everyone knows that it is important to wash your hands frequently in order to prevent the spread of disease. Proper hygiene is especially crucial for workers in medical facilities such as nursing homes. When nursing home staff fail to wash their hands between assisting residents, they can transfer pathogens from one resident to the next. If the facility itself is not properly sanitized, germs have the opportunity to multiply and spread throughout the building. Residents who are elderly or have weakened immune systems are particularly prone to disease and infections. They can become sick rapidly. If staff do not recognize the signs of the illness and provide the necessary medical treatment right away, the illness could prove fatal.
Can I Sue a Nursing Home After My Loved One Was Harmed by Another Resident?
When we think of nursing home abuse, we typically think of abuse at the hands of the nursing home staff. However, vulnerable nursing home residents are also at risk of being harmed by other residents. A nursing home resident may attack another resident due to malevolence, or, much more commonly, because he or she suffers from a cognitive illness that makes him or her confused, angry, and afraid. If your loved one was physically harmed or sexually assaulted by another resident while living in a nursing home, you may wonder what your legal options are. In some cases, a nursing home may be liable for resident injuries or deaths caused by the actions of another resident. A nursing home injury claim may enable you to hold the nursing home responsible for its negligence as well as recover compensation.
Nursing Home Staff Have a Duty to Prevent Resident-On-Resident Violence
Nurses, nurse’s aides, and other nursing home workers have a legal obligation to prevent foreseeable resident injuries. Although not every resident injury can be prevented, nursing home staff must make the facility as safe as possible. This includes adequately supervising residents. If a resident has a history of lashing out physically at staff, residents, or visitors, staff should carefully monitor his or her behavior. If a resident shows signs of aggression that may develop into violence toward other residents, he or she should be removed from the situation and given time to cool off. Many instances of resident-on-resident violence are the result of understaffing and inadequate staff training. Nursing home staff may fail to address violence or resident injuries caused by violence because they are too busy with other tasks. Examples of nursing home negligence such as these are in violation of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act and other legislation.
What Are the Most Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse and neglect are tragically commonplace in Illinois and across the United States. It is difficult to know for sure the exact number of nursing home residents who are victims of abuse because many residents are unable to report the mistreatment they suffer. However, in one study, 44 percent of nursing home residents surveyed reported being abused while living in the facility. If you have a loved one living in a rehabilitation facility, assisted living facility, or nursing home, it is important to be vigilant for signs of abuse and neglect.
Physical Abuse Can Leave Physical and Mental Scars
It is hard to imagine someone hitting, pinching, kicking, or otherwise intentionally harming an elderly or disabled person, but physical abuse does happen in some long-term care facilities. Some nursing home staff become frustrated or angry when residents do not comply with orders or are otherwise obstinate. They may intentionally hurt the resident as a form of “punishment.” Unexplained bruises, lacerations, or other signs of trauma, as well as psychological symptoms like fear and anxiety, may be signs that a resident is begin physically assaulted. In some cases, the perpetrators of physical abuse are other residents at the facility.
Signs a Nursing Home Resident Is Dehydrated or Malnourished
There are almost countless reasons that a person may stay in a rehabilitative facility, assisted living facility, or nursing home. Some people stay in a facility such as these while they recover from major surgery or illness and are eventually able to return home. Others permanently move into a long-term care facility because they can no longer live on their own due to dementia or physical disabilities. Whatever the reason, individuals staying in nursing homes and similar facilities deserve quality medical care and adequate assistance with daily living tasks. Malnutrition and dehydration are two health concerns that may indicate that a nursing home resident is not receiving adequate care and attention.
Red Flags of Dehydration in Elderly and Disabled Residents
Even for healthy adults, drinking enough water is sometimes a struggle. Many of us are simply too busy to notice that we have not consumed enough liquid throughout the day and only realize that we are dehydrated when symptoms such as a headache appear. For nursing home residents, the problem is even more serious. Residents may have cognitive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease that distort their memory and ability to think clearly. They may also suffer from medical problems that make it difficult to sit up or swallow. Nursing home residents have a legal obligation to provide adequate water to residents. Signs of dehydration include fatigue, muscle cramps, dry mouth, dizziness, disorientation, urine that is dark in color, and decrease in urine production. Chronic dehydration can cause a resident to develop urinary tract infections, seizures, and even hypovolemic shock.
Nursing Home Wandering May Lead to Fatal Consequences
Chicago is known for its harsh winters, but the summer weather can be just as unbearable. Temperatures frequently rise to the 80s and 90s in the summer months which can present a major health hazard to elderly and disabled individuals. Nursing home residents are often particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures because their bodies are weakened by age and illness. If a nursing home resident wanders into an area of the facility that is not air-conditioned or properly ventilated or leaves the facility, he or she may suffer deadly health conditions in a matter of minutes.
Residents Who are Not Properly Supervised May Suffer Heatstroke
The older we get, the less our bodies are able to regulate our internal temperature. Elderly nursing home residents and those with chronic health conditions are often unable to tolerate the heat. Residents with cognitive impairment are at an increased risk of heatstroke because they may not realize that it is unsafe for them to go outside. If residents are not properly supervised, they may elope from the nursing home facility and into the dangerous weather. Heatstroke or sunstroke is a condition caused by the body overheating. Without immediate medical treatment, heatstroke causes major damage to the heart, brain, kidneys, and often results in death.
Is Sepsis a Sign of Nursing Home Negligence?
Infections are a constant concern in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Nursing Home residents are often elderly and in poor health. This means that their bodies are not able to fight infections the way that a healthy person’s body could. Infections may develop into a condition called sepsis, which is often fatal. If your loved one was injured or killed due to a sepsis infection while living in a nursing home, you may choose to bring a nursing home injury claim or wrongful death claim.
What Is Sepsis?
Infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or other pathogens may cause the body to release chemicals into the bloodstream that are extremely harmful. This bodily response is called sepsis. Infections of the skin caused by bedsores, urinary tract infections, or other infections can potentially cause sepsis. Without prompt and aggressive medical treatment, sepsis can lead to severe damage including organ failure and death. Individuals over age 65 and people with chronic medical conditions such as cancer or diabetes are at the highest risk of developing sepsis. A nursing home resident with sepsis may experience fever, high heart rate, weakness, disorientation, and terrible pain. Sepsis can also lead to septic shock which is often fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that sepsis kills over 250,000 people in the U.S. every year.
Frequent Pressure Ulcers May Be a Sign of Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home staff are expected to provide the medical care and day-to-day help that residents need to be safe and free from avoidable health concerns. When nursing home staff fail to provide adequate care to residents, the nursing home may be liable for the harm caused to the vulnerable residents. One telltale sign of nursing home neglect is reoccurring bed sores. If your loved one has been suffering from frequent bedsores or bedsores that are not properly treated, you may have a valid nursing home negligence claim.
What Are Bed Sores?
Decubitus ulcers, also called bed sores or pressure ulcers, are injuries to the skin caused by long periods of pressure. People who are bedridden, confined to a wheelchair, or cannot move about on their own are the most likely to develop bedsores. These painful wounds often develop on the buttocks, hips, and back but they may also develop in other areas of the body that are subject to prolonged pressure. When a bed sore is developing, the skin becomes discolored, painful, or itchy. If pressure to the developing bed sore is not relieved, it worsens into a blister-like wound. The bedsore may then become deeper and deeper as time goes on, exposing subcutaneous tissues or even muscle and bone. Bed sores are terribly painful and may also lead to complications such as cellulitis, infection of the bones, heart lining, or cerebrospinal fluid, and sepsis. Septic arthritis, abscesses, and heterotopic bone formations may also result from untreated bed sores.
Medication Errors Put Vulnerable Nursing Home Residents at Risk of Serious Injury and Death
There are an estimated 1.5 million people living in nursing homes across the United States. Most nursing home residents have significant health concerns, including physical disabilities and mental disabilities, that require daily medication. Residents who do not receive their medications may suffer terrible pain and worsening health conditions. In some cases, a medication error can even cost a vulnerable resident his or her life. If your loved one has suffered in a nursing home due to a medication mistake, speak to a nursing home neglect attorney.
Common Medication Mistakes in Long-Term Care Facilities
Nursing home staff have an ethical duty as well as a legal obligation to provide reasonably competent care to residents. Unfortunately, understaffing, lack of organization, inadequate staff training, and other problems can lead to major medical mistakes. Some of the most common medication errors in nursing homes include:
Some Nursing Home Residents May Be at Risk of Elder Financial Abuse
When you hear the term “nursing home abuse,” you may assume that the term abuse is referring to physical violence aimed at elderly and disabled nursing home residents. Sadly, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse of vulnerable nursing home residents is a major problem in Illinois and throughout the United States. One type of abuse you may not have heard as much about is financial abuse. Financial exploitation of elderly and disabled individuals in a nursing home not only results in economic losses, it can also cause a great deal of personal suffering for the victim and his or her family.
Examples of Financial Exploitation
Most nursing home residents have physical disabilities or cognitive disabilities like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that make them dependent on nursing home staff. Many need a substantial amount of assistance with daily living tasks like toileting and eating as well as help with medication and other healthcare needs. Tragically, sometimes the individuals that residents trust the most to care for them are the ones who take advantage of their vulnerability. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) states that financial abuse is one of the most widespread forms of elder abuse. It is estimated that one out of every five elderly people has been a victim of elder financial exploitation. Some of the most common forms of elder financial abuse include:
What Are the Warning Signs That a Nursing Home Resident Is Being Mentally Abused?
It is hard to believe that someone would ever intentionally harm a nursing home resident. Sadly, nursing home neglect and abuse happens in long-term care facilities across the country. Psychological abuse, mental abuse, and emotional abuse can be especially insidious forms of nursing home abuse. Because so many nursing home residents suffer from cognitive decline, they may be unable to report this mistreatment. Relatives of nursing home residents are often unaware of psychological abuse because it does not result in bruises or other noticeable injuries the way physical abuse typically does. However, there are several warning signs of nursing home mental abuse that you should be watchful for.
Be Vigilant for Changes in Personality and Behavior
If your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, he or she may be unable to express or even remember the type of treatment he or she receives from nursing home staff. Because you cannot simply ask the resident about the quality of care he or she is receiving, you will have to look for changes in your loved one’s mood and behavior that could indicate that something is wrong. If the resident cowers, fidgets, or acts nervous when a certain staff member walks into the room, this could be an indication that the resident has suffered abuse at the hands of that staff member. Other signs of mental abuse include:
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