Neglect and abuse of the elderly in nursing homes and other adult care facilities is unfortunately all-too-common. Medical providers are required to be just as vigilant in caring for our elderly as they are for the rest of the population. Errors in nursing homes, though, and the resulting injuries to patients, are occurring at an alarming rate. It may be due to the hiring of less skilled, more over-worked staff, or facilities that are overcrowded. Often, a doctor is hired to see patients at a nursing home only once or twice a week, leaving little time to attend to the routine needs of the entire nursing home population. The nursing home staff may miss subtle signs of illness and wait until the elderly patient is simply too sick to be treated successfully.
Elderly patients are particularly at risk in nursing homes because they are more vulnerable to medication errors and to injuries sustained in falls. Tragically, these incidents sometimes result in death. If someone in your family has sustained an injury while a resident in a nursing home, you please call us to discuss your legal rights with one of our medical malpractice attorneys.