How Dangerous Is Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence?

You worry every day about what could happen to your loved one in her nursing home. Is she safe? How seriously could the negligent or abusive actions of nursing home staff affect her? The answer is sobering, because the results of nursing home abuse or negligence can be grave—or even fatal.

Six Types of Injuries to Watch For

A nursing home’s decision to understaff the facility, a nursing home’s failure to provide adequate training, a staff member’s intentional abuse, or any other form of abuse or negligence may result in:

• Bedsores. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, typically occur when a person with limited mobility is left in bed or in a wheelchair too long without being moved. These sores can result in dangerous and deadly infections.
   
• Infection. Infections can occur from bedsores, from catheters, or even from the failure of staff members to wash their hands. An infection can be physically painful and can result in serious consequences including hospitalization or death.
   
• Broken bones or fracture. A bone fracture or break can be dangerous for a nursing home resident. It can limit future mobility and it can require surgery that is difficult for the nursing home resident to tolerate safely.
   
• Suffocation. Bed sheets and food can create choking or suffocation hazards that deprive the nursing home resident of oxygen and may result in death.
   
• Sexual abuse injuries. It is difficult to consider, but sexual abuse does occur in nursing homes and can result in substantial physical and psychological injuries.
   
• Death. A nursing home resident’s life may be at risk because of any of the above injuries, or other injuries suffered as a result of nursing home abuse or negligence.

You may not be able to prevent the abuse from happening, but you can take action now to help protect your loved one’s recovery and to help keep other residents safe from abuse.

Let Us Help Your Family

Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers would be pleased to provide you with a free consultation and to represent your loved one, or her estate, on a contingency fee basis. We won’t be paid anything unless your loved one makes a financial recovery. Accordingly, we encourage you to call us any time at 1-800-800-5678 so that we can talk about protecting your loved one’s rights after she has suffered an injury that she never should have had to endure in her nursing home.