Across the country we continue to hear horror stories of nursing home neglect and negligence often resulting in injury and the wrongful death of loved ones trusted to these facilities. Injuryboard lawyer Barry Doyle recently blogged on an unfortunate incident at a Kansas City nursing home where the facility was fined as a result of the death of a resident.
The facility was using bed rails to alleviate the risk of falling. Unfortunately, the resident became trapped in between her mattress and the bed rails and died.
Mr. Doyle raises a concern about proper monitoring of residents who are at risk for falls and the dangers associated with the use of bedrails with certain patients. Family members should also be concerned about proper monitoring at nursing homes for residents who have a history of wandering, dementia, and who may have difficulty at meal time with chewing and swallowing as these residents pose a choking risk.
At bottom, if you are forced to place a loved one in a nursing home, it is imperative that you determine if the level of supervision offered and provided is comparable to the needs of the resident. Ask for the opportunity to observe other patients in the course of their daily activities and pay frequent visits to you loved ones until you can develop a level of assurance that your family member will not be ignored. This is the only sure way to avoid disaster.
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