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Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse
Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse is a cause of an increasing number of physical, emotional and fatal injuries to senior and disabled people in our communities. Sometimes, the issues of abuse and negligence are caused by systemic problems, such as understaffing and poor training and management. Other injuries are caused by individuals who are negligent in the care provided by aides, nurses and physicians. The top three causes of negligent injury in nursing homes are Falls, Bedsores (Pressure Ulcers) and Medication Errors.
The CDC estimates that Falls occur frequently in nursing homes, with many residents experiencing multiple falls each year. Serious injuries such as fractures, particularly hip fractures, and head injuries occur to residents from these falls. These injuries can be caused by lack of assistance with mobility, failing to use alarms with fall risk patients, and not creating a safe environment by eliminating slippery floors or poor lighting.
Pressure Ulcers are prevalent among residents who are bedridden or have limited mobility, and generally they are an indicator of neglect or inadequate care in repositioning patients and making certain their nutritional needs are met. They result from prolonged pressure on the skin causing breakdown of the tissue. Nurses and aides are trained to reposition immobile patients frequently to avoid pressure sores, as well as to apply various therapeutic creams to help skin resilience. Inadequate nutrition or hydration also contribute to the cause of these injuries. Physicians and wound care consultants need to be involved to provide treatment plans and treat sores early to prevent progression that can lead to pain, infection and sepsis. Failure to properly assess and reposition patients and poor early wound care management are causes of most of these negligent errors.
Medication Errors involve giving a resident the wrong dosage, the wrong medication or the medication by the wrong route that causes injury. When a medication error occurs and serious injury results, the results can be catastrophic. Lack of proper training of nursing staff, poor communication between staff and individual error can result in the wrong dose, the wrong drug, or the wrong route.
Medical Negligence can occur if there are failings to recognize developing signs of infection, cardiac or other systemic problems that lead to serious injury or death. Failing to properly assess and treat pressure sores by physicians and wound consultants is another type of medical error that can lead to infection and sepsis. Failing to properly monitor a nursing home resident’s health status and to intervene timely is something that should not happen.
Infection and Sepsis are high risk conditions for some nursing home residents because of their general debilitated condition and contact with multiple sources of infection. Infected Pressure Sores, Urinary Tract Infections and Aspiration Pneumonia are infections that can easily lead to sepsis and death. Poor hygiene, inadequate infection control procedures especially concerning catheters and drains, and insufficient examination to look for signs of early infection are the most common causes of sepsis.
General Neglect in failing to provide basic needs, such as food, water, care and hygiene, is another cause of nursing home residents’ physical and emotional abuse. Inadequate staffing and supervision of the quality of care provided can lead to malnutrition that can lead to pressure sores, falls and other health problems.
Wandering and Elopement is also a problem that can occur in residents with cognitive disabilities if they wander off the grounds or into unsafe areas of the facility. Proper security at entrances and exits, individualized care for dementia patients and alarms are needed to prevent wandering and elopement. Devices now exist that can be work by these patients as easily as a watch that will allow their location to be easily tracked.
Physical abuse and maltreatment of residents by hitting slapping or using excessive force, whether caused by stress among caregivers, lack of training or poor working conditions, is inexcusable. Physical injury as well as emotional and psychological injury occur. Failing to provide a safe environment, not addressing reports of abuse and complaints by resident families are some of the negligent causes of these abusive situations.
Because nursing home negligence and abuse spans both institutional and individual negligence, attorneys with nursing and medical experience are best able to assess, prepare and prosecute these cases on behalf of injured nursing home residents.
Medical Malpractice

Combining Extensive Legal and Medical Knowledge
In any injury claim, medical issues are of paramount importance. Therefore, your lawyer must have a strong understanding of how these matters relate to your lawsuit. One of our firm’s partners, Armand Leone, is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist, in addition to being a lawyer. His intensive medical knowledge is invaluable in the investigation and litigation stages of every case. Our attorneys will work closely with you throughout your case to develop a strategy that suits your needs.