Types of Nursing Home Injuries Caused by Abuse or Neglect
With a family and career of your own, it may be challenging to take care of your elderly parent like they took care of you growing up. Additionally, elders can have health concerns that are difficult to manage in a home environment without hiring a nurse or other medical aid. Nursing homes are supposed to be safe places where older people can get the care they need around the clock. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect is a potential issue that can occur, and it is important to be aware of these risks when your loved one is in someone else’s care.
The mistreatment of elders is a serious problem. It is estimated that upwards of two million seniors over the age of 65 have faced some sort of abuse or neglect in the United States. Those odds are concerning if you have an older loved one in the care of someone else, so it is important to be aware of the risks that your family member might be abused or neglected. Some common nursing home negligence issues include:
- Bedrails - Just as protection is needed to keep an infant or young child from falling out of bed, rails on beds are also commonly seen in nursing homes. They are also helpful for additional support while a person is sitting up or adjusting their position in the bed. However, it can be easy to slip into the space between the bed and the rail if the rails are not properly installed or are too large for the bed. This can lead to fall injuries or asphyxiation.
- Bedsores - Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, appear when blood flow to the skin is decreased due to the pressure of an object against the skin. They more commonly appear on parts of the body with less muscle and fat, such as the elbows, ankles, heels, and tailbone, and they can occur when a patient is bed or wheelchair bound. On patients who have mobility restrictions, it is important for nursing home staff to practice preventative care to avoid bedsores.
- Infections - The elderly have a higher chance of getting sick due to weaker immune systems, and poor care or improper sanitation can lead to deadly infections. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in nursing homes, and patients who use feeding tubes are most likely to contract it.
Contact an Aurora Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Your elderly loved one deserves the best possible care. When nursing home staff are being careless and negligent, that compromises the health and safety of your family member. If you believe a nursing home has been the cause of your loved one’s injury or death, contact an experienced Kane County nursing neglect attorney to discuss your case. Call our office at 630-907-0909 to schedule a free consultation.
Sources:
https://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-nursing-homes/articles/2013/02/26/9-warning-signs-of-bad-care
