Family Wins Nursing Home Neglect Case
A New Jersey jury has awarded $13.2 million to the surviving family of a woman who passed away allegedly due to bedsores, which were purportedly caused by nursing home neglect in a rehab center in New Jersey. The family filed the wrongful death lawsuit after the decedent died on February 27, 2010. The woman had been a resident of the nursing home for three months while she recovered from a dislocated shoulder. However, according to her family, she collected several new health problems.
According to allegations, while the woman was in the nursing home, she required a colostomy to manually reinsert her bowels into her abdomen, lost 20 pounds, had to have nine wound debridements, developed serious and large bedsores and required two bone shavings. The family also claimed that the treatments and conditions were all avoidable and a direct result of the nursing home neglect shown by the facility.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the woman died an undignified, painful death after purportedly only being turned 10 times during the 282 shifts that happened while she was a resident at the facility. Officials of the nursing home denied the allegations and stated that they plan to appeal the verdict.
While the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded the 180-bed facility with a five-star rating, the same year that the woman died, hundreds of employees went on strike for three days, allegedly as a result of low wages.
Bedsores can develop in an assisted nursing facility as a result of a lack of blood flow to skin that is caused by prolonged pressure on that area of the body. They are typically located in areas with prominent bones underneath the skin such as the tailbone, elbows and heels. Residents who are unable to move independently or who have difficulty or limited mobility face the greatest risk of the potentially life-threatening and often-painful pressure ulcers.
Many medical experts and organizations consider bedsores to be preventable and can be treated if caught early through attentiveness on the part of the care providers and medical staff. Failure to properly identify, prevent or treat bedsores can result in severe infections that can make their way into the bloodstream, known as sepsis.
Do You Believe a Loved One is a Victim of Nursing Home Neglect?
If you have been a victim of nursing home neglect or if you suspect nursing home neglect of a loved one, consider seeking legal counsel to learn about your rights. Attorney Group can answer your questions at no cost or obligation to you, and connect you with an affiliated nursing home neglect attorney. Additionally, if you have lost a loved one and you believe that nursing home neglect caused the death, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit on his or her behalf. Contact us today to learn more.
