The death of a loved one can always come as a devastating shock, but when that death happens in a nursing home that was meant to provide professional and compassionate care, that shock can be accompanied by a feeling that you have unanswered questions. As you process your grief, it might not even occur to you that the nursing home’s practices may have contributed to your loved one’s passing. If you suspect that your loved one died due to the negligence of nursing home staff, you may have legal recourse. With help from an Illinois nursing home injury attorney, you can hold the facility accountable for failing to protect your loved one.
At Nursing Home Injury Center, we are not afraid to take on nursing homes and their insurers in legal disputes. When you work with our law firm, you will receive individual attention devoted to helping you reach a fair resolution.
Malnutrition-Related Deaths in Nursing Homes
Elderly people often have more sensitive health needs, especially when it comes to their diet and nutrition. For example, the stages of dehydration can progress rapidly, leading to dire health complications in older individuals, so someone must be monitoring sufficient water intake. Other common conditions can make it necessary for a nursing home resident to cut out sugar or salt, and failure to do so can have damaging impacts.
A poor diet in a nursing home can contribute to sickness, a weakened immune system, and possibly death. At Nursing Home Injury Center, we believe that nursing homes should be held to high standards when it comes to taking care of their residents. If your loved one died as a result of malnutrition in a nursing home, do not hesitate to get in contact with one of our nursing home neglect lawyers.
Fatal Falls in Nursing Homes
It should come as no surprise that the human body tends to become more fragile with age. For elderly nursing home residents who rely on walkers or wheelchairs to get around, the effects of a fall can be catastrophic.
In some cases, the difference between life and death may depend on the angle of a fall. A blow to the head can cause internal bleeding and block the flow of oxygen to the brain with immediate, life-threatening effects. Even if the resident does not hit the ground headfirst, the shock of a fall can still put an immense strain on the body that could have fatal results. A nursing home could be held responsible for a falling death if the staff did not implement adequate safety measures to prevent the accident, such as clearing hazards off the floor or closely supervising residents who pose a fall risk.
Wandering and Elopement Incidents in Nursing Homes Resulting in Death
It is unfortunately not uncommon for nursing home residents to go missing for hours at a time. This can lead to serious accidents with the potential to cause death. Residents with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders are at a higher risk since they can be confused and are not always aware of their surroundings. Nursing home residents can wander inside their facilities in places where they are not supposed to be, or might accidentally leave the premises. In such cases, residents can be exposed to extreme weather, slip and fall on something, or even wander into the street and get hit by a car.
Wandering and elopement incidents in nursing facilities can often be traced back to a lack of proper security measures. Our nursing home attorneys can review the timeline of events leading up to your loved one’s death and examine the facility’s policies to see whether any measures should have been taken to prevent the incident from happening.
Fatal Choking Incidents at Nursing Facilities
Chewing food can become more difficult with age as teeth break down or become more brittle. Additionally, some residents with mental disorders lose the ability to chew food or swallow on their own. Nursing homes should be prepared to address these issues at meal times, either by serving soft foods or cutting up food into smaller, more digestible pieces. There should also always be enough staff around so that any issues can be dealt with promptly. When these basic safety precautions are not observed, the risk of a fatal choking accident increases.
At Nursing Home Injury Center, we can help you get to the bottom of a fatal choking accident. We can take witness statements or review security footage to determine whether the nursing home’s neglect led to your loved one’s death.
Deaths Caused by Lack of Medical Care in Nursing Homes
An outbreak of the flu at a nursing home can prove to be fatal for some more medically fragile residents. As such, nursing home staff should take extra care to keep the facility sanitary to lower the risk of infection whenever possible. This entails even simple measures such as sanitizing medical equipment regularly and making sure that the residents and staff wash their hands frequently.
One example of a medical issue that nursing home residents commonly suffer from is bedsores. When residents are unable to move around on their own, nursing homes must ensure their weight is regularly shifted and move the residents according to a detailed schedule. Otherwise, bedsores can develop. When left untreated, they can lead to deadly infections. If the nursing home staff did not take steps to proactively treat or prevent an infection, an attorney can help you pursue a wrongful death claim.
Do Nursing Homes Cover Up Negligence?
A death at a nursing home can result in unwanted publicity and liability for the staff. While not all nursing facilities will attempt to cover up evidence of negligence, it is still a realistic possibility. If you suspect that your loved one’s death was caused by negligence or abuse by the nursing home staff, you should contact a lawyer at the earliest opportunity. If you delay taking legal action, valuable evidence – such as video footage, medical reports, or the opportunity to get witness statements – could disappear.
At Nursing Home Injury Center, we recognize how urgent these claims can be. When you have our firm representing you, we can start working on your claim quickly.
Can I File a Wrongful Death Claim Against a Nursing Facility?
If your loved one died in the care of a nursing home, you can hold the facility liable for your damages by filing a wrongful death claim.
The process of filing a wrongful death claim is similar to filing a personal injury claim. If you secure a successful settlement or verdict in your case, you could be awarded compensation for your loved one’s end-of-life medical treatment and funeral costs. You could also be awarded compensation for your own personal trauma, factoring in your grief and loss of companionship or guidance. At Nursing Home Injury Center, we will seek maximum compensation for the unjust, avoidable loss of your loved one.
Contact a Peoria, IL Nursing Home Wrongful Death Attorney Today
When nursing homes do not take safety seriously, people get hurt. If you are dealing with the painful loss of a loved one due to a nursing home’s negligence or abuse, call our Peoria County, IL personal injury lawyers at Nursing Home Injury Center today. We offer free consultations at 309-524-6900.
