Nursing home negligence: Substandard care can result in death

On Behalf of | Jul 30, 2018 | nursing home negligence

There are numerous nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Wyoming. There are also state laws and strict protocols that govern and oversee the care of assisted living residents and nursing home patients. Sadly, nursing home negligence is highly problematic when facility employees disregard regulations or the law.  

Many nursing home patients are age 80 or beyond. People living out their elder years are often more physically fragile than those who are younger. In fact, suffering any type of injury, especially dislocated joints or bone fractures, can place an elderly person at risk for serious infections, further injury or even death. A temporary worker at a facility in another state is facing serious criminal charges in connection with a 100-year-old woman’s death.  

There is also a civil lawsuit against the worker as well as against the temporary employment services that placed him on the job. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the decedent following an incident where she suffered multiple broken bones and open fractures when the temporary employee allegedly disobeyed regulations regarding patient safety. The worker had reportedly been transferring the woman by means of a swing chair after she had bathed. The worker apparently did not have the woman’s safety buckle locked in when the chair was at its highest air point, and she slipped out onto the floor.  

The elderly patient was airlifted to a trauma center, but doctors determined she was not able to undergo the emergency surgeries needed to heal her injuries. She died while receiving palliative care in hospice. Families of nursing home negligence victims in Wyoming may feel quite frustrated, knowing that their loved ones’ injuries were preventable; however, they may be comforted in knowing that measures such as those taken in this particular case can at least provide opportunity to seek justice.