A 76-year-old nursing home patient was at high risk of developing pressure ulcers. Specifically, she was non-ambulatory, could not stand, was weak in her lower extremities, had spastic paralysis of her left arm, and developed contractures of both hands and her left elbow. The patient was also incontinent of bladder and bowel and required extensive to total assistance from staff for all aspects of her care, including turning and repositioning in bed.
The patient was admitted to the defendants’ nursing facility on or about November 9, 2011. She did not have any pressure ulcers on admission. While at the defendants’ facility, the patient was permitted to develop a pressure ulcer on her sacrum. The sacral pressure ulcer was permitted to deteriorate. The pressure ulcer caused the patient to sustain additional severe injury. The patient died on December 8, 2014.
The family contacted us to pursue claims against the nursing home for failing to provide proper care to prevent and/or treat her pressure ulcers. We were able to obtain a generous award for the patient’s family through arbitration.
