Abuse and neglect may occur in a nursing home when staff fails to do their job, fail to carry out their duties, including not administering the proper medicine, not moving patients, or not doing enough to prevent a patient from falling.
Nursing homes owe a duty of reasonable care to their patients, and if there are neglect and abuse, they have breached that duty. If you or a loved one has suffered neglect in an assisted living facility, consider reaching out to a skilled nursing home abuse lawyer. A dedicated Glastonbury nursing home neglect lawyer could help you recover compensation.
Common Scenarios of Nursing Home Neglect
Common examples of neglect include patients not being properly toileted, leading to fecal infection and sepsis. Neglect could also be a lack of cleanliness, the patient not having their meds monitored properly, or being dropped and falling.
Generally, the thing that leads to neglect is understaffing. If staff is asked to do too much or the nursing home is not allocating enough resources to resident care, that can lead to neglect.
Patients particularly vulnerable to the consequences of neglect are those who are unable to advocate for themselves, perhaps because they suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia, are on pain medication, or otherwise do not have the wherewithal to report it properly. When someone suspects their family member has been subjected to neglection, they should contact a nursing home neglect lawyer in Glastonbury.
For a free legal consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer serving Glastonbury, call 860-471-8333
Bedsores as a Symptom of Neglect
A bedsore is damaged skin or tissue caused by sustained pressure, often in a bed or a wheelchair when someone cannot move. It reduces blood circulation to that area because it is constantly pushing down on somebody and causes an ulcer.
Bedsores are a strong indication of neglect. The cause of bedsores is prolonged and sustained pressure, and it does not have to be a lot of pressure. If any part of someone’s body is constantly in contact with a surface such as a chair or a bed and does not move, eventually that will reduce circulation and cause a sore.
An individual with bedsores can have anything from general discomfort to severe physical and mental problems, such as infections, muscular damage, abrasions, and potentially death if left untreated. A Glastonbury nursing home neglect attorney could help a family take legal action after losing a loved one to neglect.
Treatment Options for Bedsores
Treatment for bedsores could vary depending on the type of sore. It could involve anything from the use of a physical therapist to improve mobility, an occupational therapist to make sure that surfaces are appropriate, a dermatologist treating the skin, or even a neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon, or plastic surgeon.
Pressure has to be reduced and they may have to remove damaged, dead, or infected tissue through surgical intervention. There may be antibiotics to fight infection, drugs to control pain, changes to diet, and possibly surgery to repair the bone and muscle or to use other tissue to cover the sore.
Bedsores only develop when somebody is in an environment that is inappropriate for them, or they are not moved at regular intervals to reduce the pressure. Someone’s skin should be checked, and there are common areas where people would develop bedsores, such as their shoulders, ankles, or backs. Nursing homes should know the mobility level of the patient and monitor them accordingly because if someone is immobile, they will need to be moved and turned so they do not get bedsores.
Glastonbury Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer Near Me 860-471-8333
How a Glastonbury Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Could Help
Many things can be done if someone is neglected, but the first is to report it immediately, so the state can investigate. It may be that the resident needs to be moved to a different facility to receive proper care and, in severe cases, there could be civil consequences involving a lawyer.
If you believe a loved one was the victim of neglect in a nursing home, reach out to an experienced Glastonbury nursing home neglect lawyer for help. An experienced attorney could help you pursue the damages you deserve.
Call or text 860-471-8333 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form