Patient injuries a problem in nursing homes
April 5th, 2017In nursing homes all across the country, there is an unacceptable problem growing. Patient injuries occur far too often in Louisiana and all over the U.S. Just last year, over 20,000 people who live in nursing homes experienced serious injuries to their faces and even more to other parts of the body. Most of these injuries were because of falls.
There are approximately 1.4 million Americans living in nursing homes today. When these patients are injured, the results can be debilitating, causing terrible pain and disability. According to one research team, programs should focus more on how to avoid these types of injuries and keep the patients safe. The researchers claim that these facilities should put forth more effort to identify which injuries are preventable and take steps to stop them from happening.
From 2011 to 2015, there were 109,795 people over the age of 60 who were living in nursing homes that had to be treated in an emergency room for facial injuries alone. Most of these patient injuries were cuts or tears in the skin. About 13 percent of the injuries were broken bones, with noses and eye sockets being the most common. Most all of these injuries were caused by falling while getting out of bed and hitting hard surfaces.
When family members leave loved ones in nursing homes, they do so with the belief that they will be taken care of and protected. Patient injuries will sometimes occur, but it is up to the medical staff to make sure that serious injury is avoided. Compensation is often awarded to the families of those who are injured in long-term care facilities. If a Louisiana resident discovers that a loved one has suffered an injury while under medical care, he or she should speak to a medical malpractice attorney about which steps to take to receive compensation for his or her loved one.
Source: foxnews.com, “Facial injuries are common in US nursing home residents“, March 24, 2017