Nursing Home Accidents

Spartanburg Accident Attorneys

The choice to place a loved one in a nursing home is a difficult decision often made with a heavy heart. For many families it is a last resort when a loved one requires constant care, supervision, and protection beyond what family members are capable of providing at home. Nursing home residents are among our most vulnerable citizens. They deserve respect and care. Too many nursing homes falls short of their duties. Nursing home negligence can lead to accidents, assaults, and health problems that can be fatal to nursing home residents. Those who survive are often condemned to a significantly reduced quality of life.

Nursing Home Falls

Fall prevention is one of the basic responsibilities of nursing home and one of the primary reasons that many people enter a nursing home setting. Falls among the elderly are common and can be deadly. Falls in nursing homes are disproportionately high compared to falls among people of the same age group who are not in nursing homes.

Nursing home negligence and abuse that can lead to falls includes:

Inadequate supervision
Failure to properly assess residents for fall risk, and respond accordingly
Malnutrition and dehydration
Medication errors
Use of chemical restraints
Failure to assist a resident who can still walk, but cannot walk safely on his or her own
Failure to help resident with transferring, such as from a bed to a chair
Failure to respond to a resident in a timely fashion when they call for help or assistance, prompting them to take action on their own
Inadequate foot care
Shoes which do not fit properly
Lack of handrails and grab bars
Improper bed height
Improper toilet seat height
Poorly fitted wheelchairs
Poor lighting
Clutter and obstacles
Wet or slippery floors