As nursing home lawyers, we are dedicated to making information available to families of nursing home abuse and neglect. Below you can find additional articles and information about some of the issues we see in the nursing home industry and in the cases that we handle. We are pleased to make this information available to the families of nursing home residents to help them be better able to advocate for their family members, better able to recognize when nursing home abuse and neglect has happened, and better able to understand why an experienced nursing home lawyer is needed for these kinds of cases:
Proof of Neglect Found in Nursing Home Care Plans
Care planning is a fundamental building block for how care is delivered in a nursing home setting. Breakdowns in the care planning process are a frequent cause of unnecessary injuries and deaths to nursing home residents. We look closely at the care planning process in prosecuting nursing home abuse and neglect cases.
Nurse’s responsibility to notify resident’s doctor
Nurses are the eyes and ears for the resident’s doctor when he is not in the facility. This includes providing notification to the doctor of key information regarding the care and condition of the resident.
Understaffing in nursing homes
Nursing homes are required to have enough staff on hand to meet the care needs of residents on a 24-7 basis. Failure to have properly staff nursing homes is endemic in the long term care industry and leads to falls, bed sores, and the wrongful deaths of nursing home residents.
Resident-on-Resident Assaults in Nursing Homes
One surprising source of injury and death to nursing home resident come from fellow nursing home residents. These incidents occur with shocking and alarming frequency.
Use of the Resident Chart in Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Cases
The nursing home chart is a key tool in providing quality care for residents, but is also an important source of proof for investigating nursing home cases involving falls, bed sores, choking, medication errors, and other forms of nursing home abuse and neglect cases.
The Minimum Data Set (MDS) in Nursing Homes
The Minimum Data Set is a form that is periodically completed by the nursing home staff and contains a comprehensive evaluation of the resident’s condition and care needs. It also helps form the basis of the resident’s care plan and is apowerful investigative tool in nursing home abuse and neglect cases.
Risks of Catheter Use in Nursing Homes
Catheters are tubes that are inserted into the bladder to address issues or urinary retention and urinary incontinence. However, their usage is discouraged by federal regulations due to the risks of injury and infection.
Smoking Injuries in Nursing Homes
Chicago nursing home lawyers explain that injuries from smoking in nursing homes account for a shocking number of serious burn injuries and deaths each year.
Injuries and Deaths from Wandering or Elopment
Nursing home residents can be seriously injured or killed as a result wandering or eloping from the facility. This is an issues which must be addressed through the care planning process.
Role of Speech Therapist in Nursing Home Choking Cases
The speech therapist plays an important role in nursing home choking cases by assessing a resident’s risk of choking and offering a series of recommendations intended to reduce the risk of choking which should be incorporated into the resident care plan.
Bedrail Entrapment: Injury and Death from Bedrails In Nursing Homes
Chicago nursing home lawyers explain how bedrail entrapment results from nursing home neglect and can lead to serious injury or death.
Independent Contractors in Nursing Homes
Health care professionals such as wound care nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists who may be responsible for injuries and deaths of nursing home residents may not be direct employees of nursing homes – a fact which has special legal significance.
CPSC Releases Report On Portable Bedrail Related Deaths and Injuries
Adult portable bedrails are meant to help prevent injury and save lives. Chicago nursing home lawyers comment on a recent injury and death report by the CPSC.