As we get older, our bodies unfortunately start to shut down and are not as strong as they once were when you were young. You are more likely to catch a sickness, break bones, you even bruise easier. Unfortunately, some elderly people get to the point where they need twenty four hour supervision to make sure they are staying healthy and not hurting themselves in some way. That is the very reason nursing homes exist. They provide the care and attention for our loved ones when someone might not be able to provide the constant care themselves. We like to think that nursing homes are a safe place for someone to live, however that is not always the case. Unfortunately elderly people can still become injured due to the negligence of the nursing home or one of the care-takers that work there. Injuries that occur in nursing home abuse, they may leave seniors traumatized, permanently disabled, or worse.
Some of the most common injuries found within a nursing home can be bedrail injuries, broken bones, falling, spinal injuries, bed sores, concussions, and infections. There is the possibility that some of these injuries can be single, isolated accidents that are not able to be prevented. However, nursing home staff members can ruin a resident’s health and well-being simply by neglecting the resident’s needs over a period of time or by purposely assaulting them.Staff members who abuse or neglect residents are doing the exact opposite of what their job entrusts them to do and what they are responsible for: help elderly residents live out the remainder of their lives comfortably and with dignity. Any staff members of nursing homes that are caught doing these malicious acts should be held responsible for their actions. A very common injury in nursing homes is from bed rails. Bed rails are used in nursing homes to prevent someone from falling out of bed and injuring themselves. However, bed rails can actually play a big role in someone becoming injured and can put a resident using them in great danger if they malfunction. For example, someone can get stuck between the bedrail and the mattress. This can cause breathing problems, suffocation, or even the possibility of cardiac arrest. If someone tries to get out of bed, it can also cause a problem if they need to climb over them and risk falling. Residents with bed rails tend to need extra supervision to ensure that they are being used properly and the resident does not get injured from them.
Unfortunately, there are also bad things that go on within nursing homes such as elder abuse. This occurs when a nursing home staff member intentionally harms one of the residents. For example hitting someone if they are not listening. This can cause someone to fall down and become bruised or even break a bone. There are also cases of neglect that happen. This is a long-term failure to address the residents’ health issues, causing them to develop long-term injury or even death over a period of time. It is unfortunate that there are some staff members that are negligent and ignore residents health issues or do not treat them properly.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a nursing home, let a nursing home abuse lawyer Kansas City, MO trusts, such as from Royce Injury Attorneys, represent you for your case. Contact a law firm today.