Elder Law

Levin and Perconti File Wrongful Death Suit After 63-year-old Man Neglected At Nursing Home

By Levin & Perconti

Steven Levin of Levin and Perconti has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Chicago nursing home for the death of a patient who developed pressure sores while under their care. The family chose the facility believing a promise that the staff would provide the best care for the deceased after he had just undergone extensive hip surgery, consequently requiring assistance from the nursing staff with all the tasks of daily living. His limited mobility placed him at risk for the development of pressure sores, and so his recovery depended on staff turning and repositioning him often and making sure that he had adequate nutrition and hydration.

Unfortunately, the care he was given proved to be completely inadequate. On many occasions, he was found in soiled clothing and bedding, was constantly thirsty but his requests for water were ignored. After voicing these concerns to the staff, the man?s wife was told the facility was simply understaffed. Only two weeks into his stay at the facility, he developed pressure sores. Again, when his wife complained to the staff, nothing was done, even though the staff assured her that he would be turned frequently and that he would get a special mattress to keep the pressure off the wound.

Four weeks into his stay, the man?s wife was informed her husband was being taken to a hospital because he was running a high fever. Doctors diagnosed him with a large, deep, and severely infected Stage IV pressure sore on his sacrum and a Stage II pressure sore on his left him and both heels. He was also suffering from sepsis caused by the pressure sores, dehydration, a urinary tract infection and malnutrition. He was never able to recover from these injuries.

Full article

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on March 12, 2008 (boomark / email).