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Recent Blog Posts
Wrongful Death Claims for Fatal Medication Mistakes
Providing medication to residents is a huge part of a nursing home’s responsibility. Elderly residents and those with serious medical issues rely on medications to manage pain and symptoms. For many, receiving their prescribed medications is the difference between life and death.
Medication errors can occur for many different reasons, but whatever the reasons, the impact can be catastrophic. Something as simple as mixing up two residents’ medications can lead to fatal consequences.
If your loved one passed away because of a medication mistake in a nursing home, you and your loved one deserve justice. The best way to hold the nursing home accountable may be to file a wrongful death claim against the facility.
Deadly Medication Errors in Illinois Nursing Homes
Nursing home residents are often already in poor health when they come to a facility. Their bodies are weakened by advanced age or chronic medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes. This means that a medication mistake can be especially hard on a nursing home resident. Mistakes that a healthy person could survive can lead to severe injury or death.
Clogged Breathing Tubes and Other Mistakes Caused by Nursing Home Negligence
The degree of care and medical intervention nursing home residents need varies dramatically. Some residents are able to walk, talk, eat, and perform most functions with little assistance from staff. Others are completely immobile and require machines to keep them alive.
Breathing tubes are often used supply a resident with oxygen. The breathing tube is attached to a ventilator and serves as an artificial airway for people who cannot breathe on their own. Just like an obstruction in a throat, an obstruction in a breathing tube can prevent the resident from getting enough oxygen. Severe and fatal injuries can be caused by breathing tube clogs and other mistakes.
Breathing Tube Injuries
Individuals in long-term care facilities may rely on breathing tubes and ventilators to live. It is essential that nursing home staff closely monitor residents who rely on breathing tubes because even a minor mishap can mean the difference between life and death. Negligent care at a nursing home may be caused by staffing shortages, poor staff training, or simply carelessness. When staff who do not promptly and adequately address breathing tube problems, the resident may suffer brain damage or death.
Brain Injury Caused by Falling in a Nursing Home
The brain controls everything from movement to thought processes. When the brain is injured in a fall, the victim can suffer irreparable health consequences. Some are unable to survive the damage caused in a fall accident.
Nursing homes and the employees who work there have a duty to prevent falls whenever possible. Falling can be deadly for ill and elderly nursing home residents. If your loved one suffered a brain injury in a fall while living in a nursing home, you may be able to sue the nursing home.
Consequences of Brain Injuries Can Be Devastating
Most people living in a nursing home are older and suffer from multiple health aliments. This makes falling especially dangerous. The CDC reports that fatal fall accidents resulted in the deaths of 34,000 people over the age of 65 in the year 2019 alone. There were an astounding 3 million emergency room visits for elderly fall victims in the same year.
Severe Bed Sores Caused by Nursing Home Neglect May Be Fatal
As anyone who has interacted with children can attest, children are bundles of energy. They love to run around and play. It seems like they never stop moving. As people age, they become less and less mobile. Many elderly people are confined to a wheelchair or their bed. They cannot move around or even shift their weight from one body part to another without help. Because being in one position for long periods of time can be very hard on the body and lead to bedsores, caregivers must regularly reposition elderly and sick individuals with low mobility.
Nursing home staff are expected to take the steps necessary to prevent bedsores in vulnerable residents. Unfortunately, some nursing homes neglect this crucial responsibility leading to painful, dangerous, and potentially deadly bedsores.
Pressure to the Skin Can Cause Wounds that Become Infected
When skin is under pressure for long periods of time, the skin is damaged and may even begin to die. This is called a bedsore or pressure ulcer. The best way to prevent bedsores is to avoid being in the same position for more than a couple of hours at most. Cushions and padding on wheelchairs can also help prevent bedsores.
Preventable Hip Fractures Can Be Caused by Nursing Home Negligence
Hip fractures are one of the worst outcomes of a fall accident. While any type of fracture can be painful, hip fractures are particularly incapacitating. Over 300,000 elderly people are hospitalized with hip fractures every year. Women suffering from osteoporosis are at the highest risk of hip fractures but anyone can suffer a broken hip in a fall.
Broken hips take a massive toll. Most sufferers require surgery and must endure long, painful recoveries. Studies show that the 12-year mortality rate doubles after a hip fracture.
Sadly, many hip fractures are preventable. Nursing home neglect, mistakes, and substandard care increase the risk of preventable fall accidents.
Reasons Elderly and Ill Residents Suffer Broken Hips
The vast majority of hip fractures are caused by falling. Elderly people have lower bone density and less muscle mass than young people. They may also take medications that make them dizzy. The risk of falling is quite high for those over 65 years old. This is why it is so important for nursing home staff to decrease the risk of falling as much as possible.
What is Considered Unreasonable Restraint?
The top priority of any nursing home should be to keep residents safe. Nursing home staff must carefully balance the need for safety and residents' desire to be independent. Many nursing home residents have cognitive illnesses that can make them a danger to themselves. For example, an elderly person with Alzheimer's may get confused and try to leave the facility. Elopement from the nursing home can be deadly, especially in high-traffic areas or extreme weather conditions. Consequently, doors to the outside may be locked and require a key card to go in and out. Illinois nursing homes may put certain limitations on residents. However, Illinois law makes it clear that unreasonable restraint of a nursing home resident is illegal.
Illinois Law on Nursing Home Restraint
There are times that a nursing home resident's independence may need to be limited. Residents with certain medical conditions can become confused or even violent, putting themselves, other residents, and the staff in danger. However, cognitive decline does not excuse unreasonable restraint. Nursing home staff are expected to ensure a resident's safety while also preserving their dignity.
Medication Errors Can Lead to Injuries and Death in Illinois Nursing Homes
The majority of people living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities take one or more medications each day. They may need the medicine to mitigate pain, lower triglycerides, reduce blood pressure, or treat infections. When used correctly, medications can be lifesaving. When used incorrectly, medications have the potential to seriously injure or kill a nursing home resident.
Most Common Types of Medication Errors
It is no secret that many nursing homes are understaffed and underfunded. Many facilities do not have enough staff to provide residents the high-quality care and attention they deserve. Employees are often overworked, underpaid, and undertrained. Staffing issues like these increase the chances of medical mistakes.
Research shows that preventable adverse drug events are common in nursing homes. Approximately 16 – 27 percent of nursing home residents will be victims of medication mistakes according to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Frighteningly, studies show that the number of medication mistakes in nursing homes is increasing.
How Dementia and Related Illnesses Increase the Chances of Nursing Home Abuse
Dementia affects over 55 million people across the globe. The illness causes reduced cognitive function, confusion, changes in personality, and altered mood. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for about 70 percent of dementia cases.
Individuals suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease not only must deal with the physical, emotional, and psychological consequences of the illness, they are also at increased risk of abuse in a nursing home.
Abusers Target Nursing Home Residents Who Are Vulnerable
Taking care of sick and elderly residents in a nursing home takes a great deal of compassion and resiliency. It is not an easy job. Sadly, some people take these jobs for the wrong reasons. Individuals who hope to exploit or take advantage of vulnerable people may even seek out nursing home positions because it gives them access to individuals in poor mental and physical health. This is one reason that it is so essential for nursing homes to properly vet job applicants through background checks and references. Any nursing home resident can find himself or herself the victim of abuse or neglect. However, residents with cognitive decline caused by dementia may be less likely to report the mistreatment due to communication barriers and confusion.
Top Causes of Nursing Home Fall Accidents and How They Can Be Prevented
Many people are shocked to learn just how dangerous fall accidents can be for sick and elderly individuals. Something as simple as slipping in a pool of liquid can lead to catastrophic and even deadly fall injuries. The CDC reports that one out of every five falls causes serious injuries like hip fractures and head injuries. Falling is the leading cause of traumatic brain injury. Sadly, over 42,000 people died in fall accidents in 2020 alone.
Nursing home staff should be well aware of the deadly risk falling poses to residents and how to prevent fall accidents. Unfortunately, not all nursing homes take the precautions needed to prevent avoidable falls.
Reasons Nursing Home Patients Fall
Nursing home residents typically need extensive medical care and extra help with everyday tasks. However, many nursing homes are understaffed. This can mean that residents do not get the help they need. Nursing home neglect can lead to fall accidents in many different ways, including:
Nursing Home Residents Who Choke May Suffer Catastrophic or Fatal Consequences
When we think of nursing home dangers, wandering and elopement, severe fall accidents, or other dramatic incidents may come to mind. However, in many cases, the most dangerous thing that a nursing home resident does each day occurs during mealtimes. Elderly individuals and those with disabilities may have difficulty chewing and swallowing food. While it may seem insignificant, something as simple as choking on a piece of food can be deadly for vulnerable nursing home residents. This is why it is so important for nursing home staff to carefully monitor residents during mealtimes and make any accommodations necessary to avoid choking.
If your loved one was injured or killed by a choking incident at a nursing home, read on to learn about your legal options.
Choking Hazards in Illinois Nursing Homes
Many nursing home residents are elderly. Many older individuals suffer from dry mouth which makes it harder to swallow food. Food can get stuck in the throat and block the airway. The problem is so common that choking is statistically the third-leading cause of unintentional injury death for people over the age of 65. Candy, food, medications, and even water can be choking hazards for elderly people.
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