In some cases, an elderly resident may simply fall and either fracture or break a bone. While nursing home employees should always monitor their residents, sometimes a senior may attempt to leave their chair or bed and have an accident. However, any bone fracture or break in an elderly resident of a nursing home should prompt close inspection to determine if the injury was actually a result of nursing home abuse or neglect.
If you suspect that your elderly loved one’s injuries are a result of abuse or neglect, contact a Riverside bone fractures and breaks lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help your elderly loved one receive the justice and compensation they deserve.
Causes of Bone Fractures and Breaks in Nursing Homes
While sometimes an accident is purely an accident, any bone fracture or break of an elderly resident in a nursing home is cause for concern. Nursing home staff members and administrators should have extensive protocols and procedures in place to ensure that the most vulnerable of all residents receive consistent and proper monitoring to avoid any falls or accidents. Some of the ways elder neglect and abuse can lead to bone fractures and breaks include the following:
- Failure to properly lift or transfer a resident from their bed to a chair, or help them to the restroom or other location.
- Failure to properly secure the feet of a resident in a wheelchair, causing them to fall at a later time.
- Failure to clear walkways and paths within the nursing home.
- Failure to provide appropriate mobility aids such as stools, handrails, or other devices to help residents get in and out of wheelchairs.
- Failure to provide or secure proper footwear for elderly residents.
- Failure to monitor residents appropriately so that they attempt to go to the bathroom or other location independently without assistance.
In extreme cases, a bone fracture or break of an elderly resident may signal nursing home abuse. In some circumstances, nursing home employees will hit, shove, push, or physically assault an elderly resident that could result in the senior falling and suffering either a bone fracture or break. If your elderly loved one suffered a bone fracture or break in a nursing home, you may be able to receive compensation. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm and learn if you have a compelling case.
Complications of Victims Suffering from Bone Fractures and Breaks
Elderly residents of nursing homes are often frail or have compromised immune systems. Age simply carries with it decreased health and resiliency. Unfortunately, when an elderly resident of a nursing home suffers a bone fracture or break for any reason, they have a greater propensity to develop additional medical complications that can result in life-threatening injuries or even death.
Some common complications that occur following bone fractures and breaks in the elderly include the following:
- Development of bedsores, due to a decrease in mobility.
- Depression or anxiety, either related to the bone fracture or break, or the abuse and neglect that caused the incident.
- Weight loss or dehydration, due to depression, anxiety, or lack of mobility.
- Development of either internal or external infections, due to lack of care for the injured area, or a weakened immune system.
Bone fractures and breaks often lead to a lower quality of life for those elderly residents of nursing homes. In horrific cases, the bone fracture or break remains untreated as the nursing home staff fails to alert their management in fear of losing their job. In these cases, the elderly resident stays in excruciating pain for hours or days until the fracture or break is finally noticed. Many elderly residents suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and cannot understand why they are in pain or remember what happened to them to cause them to be in pain. If left untreated, this is a form of elder abuse, and your elderly loved one could suffer permanent injuries or even pass away.
For a free legal consultation with a Bone Fractures and Breaks Lawyer serving Riverside, call (800) 794-0444
Compensation for Bone Fractures and Breaks
While every case is different, if your elderly loved one suffered a bone fracture or break in a nursing home due to nursing home abuse or neglect, they may have the right to receive compensation for their injuries. While money will never repair their health, those nursing home employees that inflicted abuse or neglect on an elderly person are responsible, and should pay for their actions.
If your elderly loved one suffered a bone fracture or break, they likely incurred unexpected medical costs associated with the injury as well as diagnostic testing. Physical therapy is also often required after a serious bone fracture or break.
Additionally, your loved one may also require emotional therapy as they suffered from either abuse or neglect. In some cases, they may require mobility aids after a bone fracture or break, or certain pain management medications. The costs associated with a bone fracture or break in an elderly person are often substantial, and in some cases, you may also receive compensation for pain and suffering depending on the circumstances of the case. Your elderly loved one has a legal right to hold the nursing home responsible for their negligent or abusive actions.
Riverside Bone Fractures and Breaks Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Contact a Riverside Bone Fractures and Breaks Lawyer Today
If your elderly loved one suffered a bone fracture or break in a nursing home, there is a chance they may be suffering from elder abuse or neglect. Contact a Riverside bone fractures and breaks lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help your elderly loved one receive the compensation they deserve for their injuries.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
