Over just 10 months, five residents of Connecticut nursing home choked to death, with three of these suffering from “severe cognitive impairments,” according to an article in Hartford Courant.

This indicates a problem with patient oversight. The paper mentions an incident last December that involved a dementia patient living at the Paradigm Healthcare Center in Norwalk. The patient choked after eating food left on an unattended lunch tray.

The patient, who was on a special puree diet, was found with “copious amounts” of food obstructing the airway. The patient died a week later from an anoxic brain injury, according to a state inspection report released last week. The Paradigm nursing home has had multiple instances of residents eating forbidden food, said the Courant. It submitted a correction plan to the state in February; it also was fined $1,230.

Unfortunately, these are just a few instances a widespread problem. The Courant recently documented 76 cases of developmentally disabled people in care facilities who died between 2004 and 2010. The causes: abuse, neglect, or medical error; 14 of the 76 were on special diets and choked to death after ingesting inappropriate food.

The treatment of residents and patients in Michigan’s residential Health care facilities should be of concern to all citizens. Those who are confined to nursing homes, recuperating in a home for the aged, or in need of adult foster care are among the most vulnerable and defenseless in our society. (more…)

In Chicago’s Cook County Circuit Court a nursing home negligence lawsuit was recently filed on behalf of a disabled man who suffered the amputation of his leg following the development of bed sores during his admission to a Joliet, IL nursing home. The lawsuit alleges that Hillcrest Nursing & Rehabilitation Center was negligent in the manner it cared for the man who entered the facility in 2010 for rehabilitation following a series of strokes.

According to the family of the resident, despite his illness, he was able to get around with the assistance of a walker when he entered the facility in 2010. However, during his admission staff at Hillcrest failed to provide the necessary care that he required allowing the patient to become less mobile and eventually develop a heel ulcer or bed sore. Even after the bed sore began to manifest itself, staff at the facility failed to provide the necessary treatment which resulted in an infection that ultimately required the leg to be amputated above the knee.

Heel ulcers constitute one of the most dominant problems for nursing home residents.  When a patient is immobility and has other health conditions, the heel is the second leading site for developing pressure ulcers. The most common factor for heel ulcers is diabetes, immobility, peripheral vascular disease, trauma, and age. 

Due to the lack of mobility, an excessive level of pressure is put on the skin and heel resulting in ulcers due to prolonged circulatory intervention. Pressure ulcers will develop when the heel is subjected to lengthy periods of weight that exceed capillary pressure. The failure of the medical staff to turn the patient, examine for heel sores, and properly treat an emerging sore is the foundation for a nursing home negligence lawsuit.  A physician who fails to timely and properly treat a foot ulcer or refer the patient to a wound care specialist may also be the subject of a lawsuit.

Lawsuits For Heel Pressure Ulcers & Heel Sores Resulting In Amputation in Michigan Nursing Home

If your loved one has suffered injuries due to a heel pressure ulcer, you should contact an experienced nursing home neglect lawyer immediately! The top-rated nursing home neglect attorneys of Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. represent clients under our No Fee promise and handle these types of cases regularly. Call our office today at (800) 606-1717 to learn your legal rights and discuss your case with one of the best Michigan nursing home neglect lawyers.

Buckfire & Buckfire P.C.’s Michigan nursing home injury attorneys file lawsuits for residents who have sustained injury or impairment due to a neglect or abuse in a skilled nursing care facility.  Regrettably, serious harm and even death to the resident occur due to these medical mistakes.  A nursing home lawsuit pursues just compensation for the injured resident or the surviving family members if the neglect led to the death of the resident.

When a lawsuit is sought against a Michigan nursing home for neglect or abuse, many of the claims in the lawsuit are for negligence by a licensed health care provider.  A licensed care provider can be a physician, nurse, physical therapist, speech therapist, would care specialist, or other licensed provider.  Other claims may be for different types of general negligence, like burn injury or food poisoning, and not for acts of negligence by medical personnel.  

General negligence lawsuit allegations do not have limits on damages.  For allegations that arise from medical negligence, the Michigan damage caps are often applied by the court to limit the amount of compensation the resident or family can receive in the lawsuit.  These caps, or limitations, on damages are set by the state statute below. (more…)

Almost every family has had to make the difficult decision of sending a loved one to a nursing home so that he or she can get needed around the clock care or recover from an injury or illness. We expect that the medical staff will treat our loved ones with the utmost care and provide them with the medical treatment and services they need. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect does occur, leaving families to deal with the consequences of the improper care and treatment rendered to a loved one.

Diana Valentin, granddaughter of Ana Louisa Medina, says that she believed her grandmother was being abused at the Gold Crest Care Center in the Bronx, New York, reported ABC News.  Due to suspicion of abused and not satisfied by the response of the Gold Crest Care Center, Diana decided to hide a camera in her grandmother’s room to gain a better understanding of what was happening inside the Bronx nursing home.  She states her 89-year-old grandmother’s body. sustained strange marks and bruises.

Diana Valentin said she was shocked at what her hidden camera revealed. Ana Louisa Medina was helpless, unable to defend herself, and being abused by a nurse’s aide at Gold Crest Care Center, said Eyewitness News. Medina suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “They were telling me she had gotten the bruising on her hands by banging on the bed railing,” Valentin told Eyewitness News.

It was the lack of response from Gold Crest Care Center that prompted Valentin to conceal a camera within the plastic base of a plant in her grandmother’s room. Valentin said she recorded more than 600 hours of footage. The first reveals a nurse’s aide grabbing her grandmother’s arm, twisted it back, lifted her off the bed and slammed her into the bed.

Sandra Kerr, the 55-year-old nurse’s aide, has since been arrested, was charged with endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person, and was released on her own recognizance. (more…)

Reports of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of the elderly continue to increase in nursing homes and long term care facilities. If you have cause to believe that the physical or mental health of your loved one has been adversely affected by abuse or neglect, you have means to seek advice from one of our experienced nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers.

Our nursing home Michigan lawyers at Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. represent nursing home residents and their families in cases against skilled nursing care facilities and assisted living facilities. There are firm laws and protocols to protect the safety and well-being of these residents against abuse and neglect. Regrettably, many nursing home patients do not always receive suitable care and the results can be severe and are often even deadly.  We help bring justice for nursing home patients who have suffered injuries and to their families who have lost a loved one due to neglect.

The treatment of residents and patients in Michigan’s residential Health care facilities should be of concern to all citizens. Those who are confined to nursing homes, recuperating in a home for the aged, or in need of adult foster care are among the most vulnerable and defenseless in our society.

How To Protect Your Loved One From Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

Below is a list of ways you can help reduce the chance of subjecting your loved one to abuse and neglect from a careless nursing home. To protect your loved one:

• Visit frequently, at different times–don’t be predictable.
• Ask questions about care.
•  Check for bedsores, unexplained bruises, and pain.
•  Note the cleanliness of the residents and facility.
• Check for weight loss or dehydration.
• Keep a small journal for notes after visits.
• Take your camera. Each visit, have your photo taken with your loved one and date it.
• Report any suspected abuse

If you suspect your family member may be enduring abuse or neglect from the trusted nursing home that they reside in, but is too afraid or unable to speak up, then it is crucial that you report it immediately! (more…)