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Recent Blog Posts
Falls Are Most Common Cause of Head Injury in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes have a responsibility to ensure adequate levels of staff and supervision so that elderly residents are protected and safe. Unfortunately, nursing homes are often negligent and residents suffer as a consequence. When an elderly resident who struggles to move independently is improperly supervised or left to move unassisted, they may slip, trip, or fall, leading to serious and potentially life-threatening head injuries. If you have a loved one in a nursing home who has suffered as a result of improper support or supervision, compensation may be available.
Common Causes of Head Injuries in Nursing Homes
Although it is possible for residents to hurt their heads in other ways, falls are the most common source of traumatic head injury. Elderly patients, especially those with dementia, risk hurting themselves during normal daily behaviors, such as:
Tragic Consequences of Negligent Security in Nursing Homes
In addition to providing the health, nutrition, and daily schedule for nursing home residents, nursing home staff are also responsible for providing adequate security and supervision. Nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to crime because their physical frailty and decreased mental faculties can make them such easy targets.
Additionally, security and supervision are essential when nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia are at risk from wandering within or away from facilities. If nursing home residents do not take reasonable measures to prevent this behavior, residents can be injured, abused, lost, taken advantage of, or even killed. Proper security and supervision are intertwined in Illinois nursing homes, and the lack of one may signal the lack of the other.
Financial Exploitation of Seniors in Illinois Nursing Homes
Although it is difficult to countenance anyone taking advantage of a vulnerable senior citizen, elder abuse happens every day in Illinois nursing homes. Nursing home staff or other occupants may take advantage of a senior resident’s imperfect mental health or memory to steal money from them or manipulate them into spending money in a way that seems, at least superficially, to be voluntary.
The financial abuse of nursing home residents has long-term consequences for the well-being of the victims. Years of hard work and savings can be decimated by the behavior of one unscrupulous individual. If you believe that your loved one has been victimized by financial abuse in a nursing home or residential care facility, a qualified Illinois nursing home abuse attorney may be able to help you hold the perpetrator or the facility responsible.
Abuse of Alzheimer’s Patients in Illinois Nursing Homes
Despite promising research in disease treatment and prevention, Alzheimer’s disease continues to be a major cause of illness and death in America. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, and dementia kills more people than breast and prostate cancer combined.
It is perhaps no wonder that with such a serious disease present in such large numbers, seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s face a higher likelihood of being abused or neglected in their nursing homes or residential care facilities. Because victims of Alzheimer’s are often confused or disconnected in their thinking, it can be very difficult to ascertain the nature or perpetrator of abuse, even when Alzheimer’s patient abuse is clearly taking place.
Should I Be Worried About Sexual Abuse in My Parents’ Nursing Home?
For most of us, there is nothing more horrific than someone taking advantage of an elderly person in their care - especially if that person is someone we love, like a parent or grandparent. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse takes place every day in residential care facilities in Illinois.
Sexual abuse of elderly nursing home residents is one of the most pernicious and damaging types of abuse, and it is important to hold abusers accountable. Although nursing home residents and their families have a right to expect safe and standardized care, when nursing home staff either perpetrate abuse or fail to prevent it, an experienced attorney can help family members seek justice and prevent such abuse from happening again.
What is Sexual Abuse of Elderly Nursing Home Residents?
Many people are surprised to learn that, although sometimes nursing home staff abuse their patients, more often sexual abuse is perpetrated by fellow residents. Sexual predators often target nursing home residents because residents may struggle to communicate abuse or may not be taken seriously. Dementia patients often cannot construct a coherent account of what happened, and it is easy for perpetrators of the abuse to deny their behavior or claim the resident is imagining things.
Common Types of Wrongful Death in Illinois Nursing Homes
The death of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences we can ever have. This is especially true if the death was preventable. Unfortunately, in many nursing homes, the standard of care for residents is such that neglect, understaffing, or elder abuse leads to the wrongful death of a resident.
In this blog, we will review some of the more common wrongful deaths that take place in residential care centers. If you have been affected by a wrongful death of a loved one in a nursing home, you may be able to sue the facility for financial damages. Although a lawsuit cannot undo your loss, it may prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.
What are Examples of Wrongful Death in Nursing Homes?
Certain kinds of wrongful death are, unfortunately, more common than others. Examples of nursing home staff behaviors that can have fatal consequences include:
Malnutrition in Illinois Nursing Homes Can Lead to Serious Illness or Death
Elderly bodies have particular needs that must be met every day, including proper nutrition from food and drink, as well as vitamins, minerals, and other supplements that are tailored to each person's needs. Elderly nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to many ailments that can result from malnutrition, especially because many residents struggle to articulate what they are feeling or what they need.
When nursing home staff fail to provide their residents with appropriate nutrition or sufficient hydration, the consequences can be devastating. Some studies estimate the problem of malnutrition and dehydration in nursing homes to be so severe that out of roughly 1,600,000 nursing home residents about one-third of them suffer from some kind of malnourishment. It can be difficult to spot signs of malnutrition in your loved one, but if you are worried that they are suffering from sudden or mysterious fatigue, mouth sores, or vision loss, consider speaking with an experienced nursing home injury attorney right away.
Can a Sepsis Infection be a Sign of Nursing Home Neglect?
Infections occur frequently in many health care facilities, but they are of particular concern in nursing homes where residents often have compromised health conditions. Elderly residents are often sick and incapable of fighting infection, leading to life-threatening conditions. Nursing homes owe a duty of care to their residents to prevent conditions like sepsis from occurring.
If someone you love was seriously injured or died as a result of a sepsis infection during their stay in a nursing home, you may have grounds for a personal injury or wrongful death claim. An Illinois attorney experienced in nursing home injuries can help you understand your options.
When Does Sepsis Occur?
The human body is amazingly adept at fighting off infections. Sometimes, however, the body reacts to a preexisting infection by effectively turning the infection-fighting process against itself. This can cause serious and even fatal damage to organs such as the lungs and heart.
Common Injuries in Illinois Assisted Living Facilities
Residents of assisted living facilities may not require the same level of care and attention as nursing home residents, but they still rely on facility staff to help with many of their personal needs and maintain a safe and healthy living environment. Unfortunately, this means that some assisted living residents suffer from the effects of neglect when facility staff fail to attend to their needs. Just like nursing home residents, assisted living residents may be entitled to compensation for damages suffered due to negligence in their facilities.
Assisted Living Facility Injuries
Many injuries suffered in assisted living facilities are related to neglect or negligence. One common example is an injury resulting from a fall, like broken bones or a head injury. Some residents are at risk of falling within their living quarters, and they may be unable to get up without assistance. When facility staff fails to respond promptly, the effects of a fall injury can get worse, and the resident may also develop pressure sores from laying in the same place for hours or days. Residents may also suffer fall injuries due to hazards in common areas throughout the facility, such as wet floors, loose debris, and unsafe stairways.
Serious Medical Complications From Bedsores in Nursing Homes
Bedsores are a common problem for nursing home residents who spend most of their day confined to a bed, and while the condition certainly sounds unpleasant and uncomfortable, it can be easy to overlook just how serious the effects can be, especially when bedsores are left to develop over an extended period of time. Unfortunately, bedsores are often the result of nursing home neglect. Depending on the severity of the bedsores, residents and their families may be entitled to substantial compensation from the nursing home facility and staff.
The Development of Bed Sores
Bedsores are also known as pressure sores, pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers, and they can develop when a person remains in the same position for an extended period of time, placing pressure on certain areas of the body and cutting off blood flow. In bedridden nursing home residents, they tend to develop in places like the heels, hips, tailbone, shoulders, and the back of the head.
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