“She was fragile,” is the simple sentence that ends the physician’s report of the death of a female nursing home resident at Eastview Terrace in Sullivan, Illinois. It could apply to just about any elderly nursing home resident. It should also serve as a reminder to nursing home staff and administration that cutting corners can have deadly, tragic results.
In this case, an avoidable nursing home fall caused the death of a female nursing home resident who was paralyzed on the left side of her body. The victim’s plan of care stated that two staff members and a mechanical lift were to be utilized for all transfers.
The Eastview Terrace aides failed to properly use the lift however, and there was no support or control of the resident during the transfer. As a result, she slipped from the sling, crashed to the floor, and broke several ribs.
At the emergency room of a nearby Sullivan, Illinois hospital, it was determined that in addition to the broken ribs; she suffered kidney damage as well.
When a normal, healthy person slips and falls in a store or a home, there’s usually very little chance to prevent the accident. Nursing home falls are, to a large extent, quite foreseeable, and this is a classic example of why they need a specialized approach.
Nursing homes need to conduct fall risk assessments of all their residents, determine what interventions should be in place to prevent falls from occurring, and then correctly implement that plan. By failing to properly train their staff to use the mechanical lift, Eastview Terrace was clearly not upholding their responsibilities.
If you have a loved one who has been injured in a nursing home fall at an Illinois nursing home, and you feel that the nursing home is guilty of nursing home neglect, contact my law offices for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
Other blog posts on nursing home falls:
Improper use of sit to stand at Grove of Skokie
Unsafe technique during transfer at Gilman Healthcare
Transfer basis for citation at North Adams
Improper transfer at Lexington of Streamwood
Failure to use mechanical lift results in broken ankle