Our Recent Cases

An elderly female nursing home resident who required assistance bathing was permitted to fall forward from a shower chair to the floor while being showered at the facility. The aide providing shower care to the resident failed properly to supervise and assist the resident at the time of the fall. As a result of the fall, the patient sustained a right hip fracture which required open reduction and internal fixation surgery.  The patient required narcotic pain medication after the fall.

An elderly nursing home patient diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and dementia was admitted to a nursing home for rehabilitation following a hip fracture in May 2008. On admission to the facility, the patient was noted to be a high fall risk. While at the facility, the patient was permitted to fall more than 10 times.

A stroke-compromised, immobile nursing home patient was being transferred using a mechanical lift when staff permitted the patient to fall to the floor. Only one aide was present during the attempted transfer despite the fact that two staff members were required to be present at all times during mechanical lift transfers. In addition, discovery revealed that the nursing home was aware, years before the fall, that the lift was defective.

An 83-year-old nursing home patient was permitted to fall during a transfer from chair to bed. On admission to the nursing home, the patient was noted to have dementia, required total assistance for all ADLs, and required a mechanical Hoyer lift for transfers. Prior to the fall, the patient was known to be unable to attempt balance tests without physical help.

An elderly female nursing home patient who was ambulatory, but required assistance with bathing and toileting, was allowed by the supervising nursing home aide to fall when exiting the shower. The aide did not provide the patient with proper supervision or safety measures for exiting the shower. As a result of the fall, the patient sustained a comminuted fracture of the right wrist and an intertrochanteric fracture of the right hip.

An elderly, mobile, female nursing home patient was assaulted at the facility by another resident. The patient, who was in her room at the time of the assault and injury, was able to ambulate with a walker before the fall. The resident was pushed to the floor during the assault, where she was later found by nursing home staff, lying in a pool of blood caused by a laceration to her head.

A Roanoke nursing home permitted its elderly female patient to develop pressure ulcers (bed sore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcer) on her right heel and right foot. When the pressure ulcers (bed sore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcer) were first documented, they were described to involve eschar (dead tissue). The pressure ulcers (bed sore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcer) were thereafter permitted to deteriorate because the facility failed to take timely pressure ulcer prevention measures.

A Lynchburg, Virginia nursing home permitted its elderly female patient to fall and sustain a skin tear to her right leg. The skin tear deteriorated into a severe pressure ulcer (bed sore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcer). Within two months after the skin tear, the wound was observed to be necrotic with yellow slough.

An elderly patient at high risk for falls was permitted to sustain four falls within four months at the nursing home. As a result of the first of these four falls, the patient sustained a fracture of the right ninth rib. As a result of the third of the four falls, the patient struck his head and sustained a facial laceration that required stitches.

An elderly patient was being discharged from the hospital following an admission for respiratory difficulties. The patient, who was a high fall risk, was escorted outside the hospital by an aide during discharge. The patient’s daughter was to meet the patient in the front of the hospital.