As our loved ones age and become more frail, the question of how to take care of them may loom large. If a specialized facility is under consideration, the question of protecting a family member from nursing home neglect may be a major concern. Residents in Missouri who are facing this decision may desire to carefully research any potential placement, though that may not always be enough.
One family recently filed a wrongful death suit against a local hospital and a convalescent home, alleging neglect. The 83-year-old woman was in the care of a convalescent home for the last six days of her life. The suit alleges that both facilities suffered from a lack of staffing and oversight.
The woman was first admitted to a local hospital for treatment of chronic lung disease. Several days into her stay, she suffered a fall when she went to a restroom without assistance because the staff reportedly did not answer her call for assistance. Staff allegedly returned her to her bed without x-rays. Two days after she was discharged, she returned to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a collapsed vertebra from the fall. After she was transferred to the convalescent home, family members contend that she suffered from severe bedsores, malnutrition and dehydration as well as an infection.
It is also alleged that some valuables that belonged to the patient were never returned. Spokespersons for both facilities refrained from commenting beyond a denial of allegations of understaffing and neglect. The suit was recently filed in California, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be. Any Missouri family who suspects that a loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect has the right to seek legal relief in an attempt to recover any monetary damages sustained as a result of medical malpractice and/or nursing home neglect.
Source: recordnet.com, “Family claims hospital, convalescent home were negligent“, Jennie Rodriguez-Moore, Nov. 22, 2014