4 Common Nursing Home Injuries Due to Neglect
Whenever you have to put a loved one in a nursing home, there’s a chance they will sustain an injury. They might not have great balance or have a previous injury that increases their risk of falling. However, injuries due to preexisting conditions and injuries due to nursing home staff neglect are two different things. If the latter occurs, you might have to get a bedsore lawyer in Suffolk County involved. Injuries due to neglect are too common and here are the four we see the most.
Bedsores
Bedsores are dangerous and can be life-threatening if not handled properly. But your loved one should never have to go through the pain of bedsores because they are easily preventable. Nursing home residents who are bedridden need to be moved and repositioned frequently. Otherwise, the pressure on the skin can cause a sore that could get worse if left untreated.
Bedsores are common on a person’s hips, elbows, back, tailbone, and any other part of the body that touches the bed constantly. The extensive pressure reduces blood flow to the area and potentially damages skin and tissue cells. Bedsores can be treated effectively if they are caught early enough.
The problem is nursing home staff often neglect residents and don’t see bedsores until it’s too late. At that point, you might not have a choice but to get a NY bedsore attorney involved. Bedsores can lead to infections that can potentially lead to death. Your family should not be on the hook for medical bills if your loved one develops bedsores while in the care of a nursing home.
Broken Bones
Broken bones happen in elderly people all the time. But there’s a difference between broken bones happening due to accidents and due to neglect. Any bedsore lawyer in Brooklyn, NY will tell you to be careful with just believing anything the nursing home staff tells you. It’s easy to blame broken bones on a person passing out or losing their balance. The reality is if the staff member was providing appropriate care and attention to them, chances are they could have prevented the injury. Always ask plenty of questions if your loved one breaks a bone in a nursing home. Staff members likely won’t volunteer the true story, so sometimes a bedsore lawyer in Suffolk County has to take action to find it.
Malnourishment
Malnourishment is something every NY bedsore attorney says to look out for. Nursing home staff might become frustrated with your loved one for some reason and neglect to provide them with the right amount of nutrition. This could lead to rapid weight loss, fatigue, dehydration, dizziness, and even weak bones over time. Sometimes your loved one might simply refuse to eat for a specific reason. However, since this is sometimes a valid excuse, nursing homes will often blame malnourishment on them. It’s not until a NY bedsore attorney investigates the problem that they find out there’s more to the story.
Injuries From Falling
One of the reasons why you might send your loved one to a nursing home is to prevent them from falling at home. So you expect them to be safer in the nursing home. Not every fall in the nursing home is intentional, but it could still be considered neglectful. Your loved one could be walking down the hall as part of their exercise routine and fall if they lose their balance. Their caretaker might have taken their eyes off of them for a split second when the accident occurred, or they might have intentionally left them alone.
Falls can lead to serious injuries in elderly people. They can sustain cuts, bruises, broken bones, concussions, spinal injuries, and much more. Elderly people tend to take a longer time to recover from these types of injuries, so their quality of life is diminished as a result. And in some cases, they are never able to fully recover. Always be sure to thoroughly investigate any fall your loved one experiences at the nursing home. And get a bedsore lawyer in Brooklyn, NY involved if something doesn’t seem right.
Work With A NY Bedsore Attorney You Can Trust
If your loved one has experienced an injury while in a nursing home, you might need a NY bedsore attorney to investigate. You should be able to trust the nursing home to provide as good of care to your loved one as you would at home. But the truth is this doesn’t always happen. A reputable and experienced NY bedsore attorney will know what to look out for and will investigate the injury or problem to get to the bottom of it. People are often surprised to learn the injuries their loved ones suffered were completely preventable if not for the neglect of nursing home staff.
You shouldn’t be on the hook for medical bills if a loved one suffered injuries at a nursing home due to neglect. Sinel & Olesen, PLLC has handled numerous cases of nursing home neglect and our attorneys know what to look for. Nursing homes often use similar tactics when trying to cover up injuries or divert blame. We can see right through these and get to the true story of what happened. Medical bills can be very costly, but with the right NY bedsore attorney, you might be off the hook for paying them. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time if you suspect any type of neglect from the nursing home your loved one is staying at.