Residents of nursing home are completely dependent on nursing home staff to take care of their daily needs, including their healthcare needs. If a resident’s health is not taken care of, his or her condition could quickly deteriorate. These matters may only be made worse if it is believed that the resident’s worsened condition was due to an act of negligence or nursing home abuse.
A representative of the estate of a nursing home resident filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court in early May against a local nursing home and other entities, citing negligence. According to the executor of the man’s estate, the nursing home did not give the man the necessary care, including sufficient supervision and assistance, to prevent bed sores, which he subsequently developed. The plaintiff in this lawsuit is pursuing over $50,000 in compensation.
Bed sores are skin injuries that develop when constant pressure is applied on a certain area of one’s skin. For example, if an individual is in bed for a long time without being moved, then his or her contact points may develop bedsores. Eventually, the person’s skin deteriorates, leaving an open sore. Some bed sores can be severe. It can also be difficult to treat a bed sore, and even with treatment it may take a long time for a person to recover from such a wound. If the bed sore doesn’t heal properly, then a victim could develop an infection.
As this case shows, those who believe that their loved one was harmed due to the neglect of the nursing home staff caring for their loved may be able to pursue a lawsuit against the nursing home. If such a lawsuit succeeds, the compensation recovered could go a long way toward helping cover the various damages suffered, which may include unexpected medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Source: Cook County Record, “Nursing home allegedly failed to prevent bedsores in former resident,” Louie Torres, May 19, 2017
