There are many things Illinois families worry about when choosing a nursing home or long-term care facility for their loved ones. Families are concerned about the safety of their loved ones. They want to make sure their loved ones will continue to receive the medical treatment they need, and they also want to make sure that their loved ones will not be put into danger due to nursing home neglect, inadequate staffing or inadequate security.
Once Illinois families do choose nursing homes for their loved ones, they have to trust that nursing home workers will follow procedures and policies at all times in order to avoid medical errors. Sadly, this trust is broken all too often in Illinois and throughout the entire country. Every year nursing home patients suffer serious or fatal injuries because of medication errors, untreated bed sores, and other mistakes. Many patients also suffer fatal injuries from frequent falls. There are many precautions nursing homes can take to prevent patients from falling, yet these accidents continue to happen.
One nursing home in Illinois is currently being sued by a family who claims that their loved one died because of the facility’s negligence. The lawsuit claims that the facility contributed to their loved one’s wrongful death by failing to take necessary steps to prevent their loved one from falling.
According to the lawsuit, the nursing home patient was left unattended when she should not have been left alone. The patient fell and suffered a severe head injury. The woman never recovered and she died from her injuries.
The lawsuit argues that the facility did not do what is required by law to prevent nursing home patients from being exposed to certain dangers, such as falling. As a result of this negligence, the family is requesting that the nursing home take responsibility for its actions and provide compensation for its negligence. The family is seeking damages for their loved one’s loss of a normal life, pain and suffering, medical expenses and disfigurement.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Four Fountains nursing home sued over resident’s care,” Andrea Dearden, March 20, 2013
