Long Beach Personal Injury Lawyer - Nursing Home & Elder Abuse

Wisconsin Nursing Home Resident May Have Been Abused

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:23:56 GMT

A resident of the Allis Care Center in West Allis, Wisconsin may have been a victim of nursing home abuse. The woman was being treated for diabetes. Her family got a call that she had fell from her wheelchair and was taken to the hospital.

Andalhari says, "my grandmother looked like, as if someone had a bat and beat her. Beat her face, the left side, with a bat. As if she was punched in the eye."
Broken bones and bruises found all over her back, face and arms. A trauma surgeon says Diaz now needs surgery because her upper jaw is not attached to her head. Police are now investigating.
We spoke to the Director of Operations at Allis Care Center. She says she is aware of the allegations and an investigation has been done. They deny any abuse on their end.

The nursing home had six federal violations in 2005. No charges have been filed in the case.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Woman Files Lawsuit Against Nursing Home

IB Contributor — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:37:33 GMT

Dropped patients, common in nursing homes.

More common than anyone wants to talk about is the injuries caused by lifting and moving patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Not only are patients injured but a great deal of hospital personal have injured backs from the lifting and moving. Some hospitals are using lifts but not enough of them to save the patients and the nursing staff.

Women files wrongful death suit against nursing home.

A Southport woman says a local nursing home is responsible for her mother's death and now she wants the home to pay.

Friday the victim's daughter filed a lawsuit against the Ocean Trail Convalescent Center in Southport saying one of its nursing home's workers is responsible for her mother's death.
According to the lawsuit an employee dropped 87-year-old Willa Martin at the Ocean Trail Center January 4.
The lawsuit says Martin fell about four feet and hit her head on the concrete floor and died three days later from her injuries.
Martin's daughter's attorney says, the family wants the nursing home and the employee who dropped Martin to pay more than $10,000 for funeral costs and the family's pain and suffering.

This is what the U.S Department of Labor has to say about lifting injuries:

During the 1995-2004 period, more than half (53 percent) of the work-related injuries and illnesses among nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides were related to overexertion. (See chart 2.) Among workers in general, 27 percent were the result of overexertion. Most of the cases of overexertion among nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides resulted from lifting patients.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by IB Contributor

Nursing Home Fined $90,000

Christina Cole — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:15:36 GMT

After the California Department of Health Services concluded an investigation into the death of 89-year-old Eva Anita Morgan, Cottonwood Healthcare has received an "AA" citation and a $90,000 fine, the most severe under state law.

Morgan died on March 22, 2005 from sepsis syndrome and she suffered from a urinary tract infection, death records show.

"When nursing home neglect occurs and the elderly experience bed sores, the conditions can sometimes progress to sepsis syndrome if the infection is left untreated," said the group website.

Before developing sepsis, Morgan, was brought to Cottonwood Healthcare, a facility that the California HealthCare Foundation lists as having 98 beds and is "freestanding" which means that it works free from a hospital.

Morgan was found with symptoms of dehydration, two days before she died, and was transferred to an acute care hospital. The death certificate lists Sutter Davis Hospital as the death place.

Month's following Morgan's death a complaint regarding the nursing home's treatment of her came to the California Department of Health Services.

The CDHS determined that the facility failed to: "provide a continuing assessment of the resident's hydration status, notify her physician of symptoms of dehydration; notify dietary services of the decreased fluid intake for dietary interventions; and ensure sufficient fluids were provided to prevent dehydration."
James Ellis, senior administrator for Cottonwood Healthcare, said the center feels CDHS was premature in issuing the "AA" citation.
"We fully intend to appeal the citation," Ellis said. "We feel the outcome will be different than the picture they're portraying."
Ellis refused to comment further.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole