Many elderly individuals suffer from various physical and mental ailments that often require special care and attention that their loved ones are not able or equipped to provide. Seeking a safe place for their loved ones, family members trust nursing homes to provide for the care and safety of their loved ones. Sadly, incidents of accidents and injuries resulting from nursing home neglect occur with far too much frequency.
A man has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence against the nursing home where his elderly relative was living. The woman was a resident at a skilled nursing home facility for roughly eight months. During this time she suffered multiple injuries as a result of neglect by nursing home staff.
The lawsuit details instances where nursing home staff failed to develop and follow a care plan for the resident related to special skin conditions. Additionally, the relative bringing the lawsuit believes that nursing home staff failed to take proper safety measures to prevent the woman from falling.
According to the lawsuit, as a result of the nursing home’s negligence, the woman suffered falls that resulted in her left ankle being broken. Due to a subsequent infection, the woman’s leg eventually needed to be amputated above the knee.
Additionally, while under the care of nursing home staff, the woman suffered various skin abrasions including tears, contusions and painful lacerations.
The injuries the woman suffered were a direct result of nursing home neglect and the negligent care provided by staff members. The woman’s relative has filed a lawsuit to recover compensatory and punitive damages.
Source: The West Virginia Record, “Man accuses Seventeenth Street Associates of neglect care at nursing home,” Kyla Asbury, July 31, 2012
