Personal Injury Law

Baltimore County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Accuses Westminster Assisted Living Facility of Maryland Nursing Home Neglect

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

The family of Rose Sarah Cangelosi Derrickson is suing Summerville at Westminster Assisted Living for Maryland wrongful death. The 90-year-old resident died on June 30, 2009 at Carroll Hospice's Dove House.

According to a the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality. Report, nursing home workers did not cut Derrickson?s meat on June 19, 2009 even though it was known that the Parkinson?s patient, whose ability to chew and swallow were impaired, needed help cutting up her food and using her utensils. After she fell into a ?severe hypoxic [deficiency in oxygen] state,? Derrickson was transported to an emergency room. Forceps had to be used to remove a chunk of meat from her throat. Because the obstruction prevented her from breathing, a breathing tube was inserted in her and she was placed on a ventilator.

According to the family?s Baltimore nursing home negligence lawyer, Derrickson did not recover and moved into a hospice on June 23, 2009 She died seven days later from aspiration pneumonia.

In her Baltimore nursing home neglect lawsuit, Linda Yingling is seeking $2 million. She contends that mother's death could have been prevented if only nursing home workers took better care of her and provided her with the proper feeding care that she needed.

Food Choking Accidents
Many nursing home patients need someone to help them during meals. Depending on his/her condition, a nursing home patient may need the food to be cut into small pieces, ground up, or liquefied. Some residents require spoon feeding.

It is so important that a nursing home is familiar with each patient?s dietary and feeding needs. Not only is it important to make sure that a resident eat and drink enough, but by adhering to his/her special feeding instructions, choking and asphyxiation accidents can be prevented.

Lawsuit to be filed against Summerville, Carroll County Times, April 18, 2010

Woman Files Lawsuit In Mom's Choking Death, WBALTV.com, April 19, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Avoiding Everyday Choking Hazards, Parent Giving

Nursing Home Awareness Campaigns: Nutrition Care Alerts, Medicare.gov

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on April 29, 2010 (boomark / email).