According to a recent lawsuit, an Illinois nursing home was so negligent in the care that it gave a man who lived in the facility that he had to have his leg amputated. The man spent roughly 13 months in the facility, and he was mostly confined to his bed. He needed extensive care and assistance. He was taken out of the facility at the very end of 2012, but it turned out that his troubles were not yet over.
While in the nursing home, the lawsuit states, he faced serious neglect that led to injury in the form of a pressure ulcer. The ulcer had formed on the heel of his left foot. Not only did it start there, though, but it was not treated by the staff so that it could heal. It is not clear if they knew that he had the ulcer and did nothing or if they simply did not notice it.
From there, the man’s troubles got even worse. Gangrene developed, starting at the ulcer, and began to move up his leg. The doctors did what they could, but it was too late at that point to save the leg. Once gangrene has set in, there is often very little that can be done to stop it. The only option was to amputate the leg, which the hospital did.
The family members of the man are now suing the nursing home. They want to recover as much as $50,000 for the damages. On top of that, they want the nursing home to pay for all of the court fees and the attorney fees.
Not only do the people who live in nursing homes need to know their rights, but their family members do as well. It is often easiest for them to spot abuse or neglect from the outside.
Source: Nursing home named in negligence suit over leg amputation, “The Cook County Record, Cook County Legal Journal” Ben Hart, Mar. 04, 2014
