Stupidity Plain & Simple To Blame For Series Of Portable Heater Burns To Nursing Home Patients
Perhaps one of the more frustrating aspects of my job as a nursing home lawyer is the fact that so many nursing home employees forget to bring their common sense to work. Though there seems to be a never ending array of federal and and state nursing home regulations, the regulations really mean nothing if employees forget to use common sense and good judgment. Though some nursing home abuse and neglect cases stem from extremely complex medical complications, a substantial number of injuries to nursing home patients occur simply due to the fact that some one made a stupid mistake....
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Burns In The Nursing Home Population Pose A Serious Threat Of Injury & Further Medical Complications
A hot cup of soup, a radiator, an uncalibrated water thermostat or a fire can all pose serious burn risks for nursing home patients. Your skin is necessary for your body’s regulation of fluid and temperature; it also acts as a barrier against bacteria and viruses. When you burn your skin, you put yourself at risk for infection, tetanus, scarring, permanent injury, and even death depending on the severity of the burn. Stages of Burns Burns are categorized as first degree, second degree, or third degree based upon the depth of the burn and the percentage of total body area...
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Even The Most Mundane Parts Of A Nursing Home Can Turn Deadly Without Proper Staff Supervision
Despite the glimpse of warmer temperatures that are (hopefully) around the corner, many nursing homes and long-term care facilities have their heating systems working at full force. Unfortunately, many of these facilities were constructed at a time when radiant heating systems were state of the art. The danger radiators and portable heating units pose to disabled nursing home patients may seem like somewhat of an alarmist attitude, but the reality is that anything can pose a danger to people who may be unable to appreciate danger to themselves or others. A radiator in a Minnesota nursing home patient's room...
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A Reminder Of What Constitutes Nursing Home Neglect
Occasionally I receive emails and comments from blog readers asking what 'really' constitutes nursing home neglect. Its easy to point to definitions, but the best explanations usually come by way of example. Yesterday, I was reviewing the chart of a 70-year-old lady who resident who died in a Chicago nursing home. The lady who died from complications following a severe burn on her leg due to contact with a wall-mounted radiator. An investigation by state nursing home investigators verified that the woman's bed was jammed so close to the radiator that it had repeatedly come in contact with the bed,...
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Burns In Nursing Homes
The National Fire Center, reports an annual average of 2 million fires in the United States. Those fires resulted in an annual average in excess of 27,000 civilian injuries, more than 4,000 deaths. Nursing home residents may sustain burns while at a nursing home facility. Common situations involving residents sustaining burns include: Baths- Staff failing to monitor the water temperature Smoking- Smoking especially around oxygen tanks can be disastrous Lighters- Senile patients playing with lighters Fires in the nursing home. Often nursing homes do not have proper alarms or fire-sprinklers Electric blankets- Staff failing to monitor patients who may...
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