Improper Maintenance Of Lift Device Costs Nursing Home Patient Their Life
Inadequate maintenance of a lift is responsible for the death of a patient at Eskaton Care Center Manzanita (California). The lift at issue is used to help staff transfer physically disabled patients into and out of their bed. According to an investigation completed by the California Department of Health, the 60-year-old nursing home patient was being transported from a wheelchair to bed when the sling on the lifting device broke and causing the patient to fall to the floor and suffer a head injury which subsequently caused his death. The agency determined that the nursing home failed to perform the...
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Contractures In Nursing Home Patients Put Them At Risk For Developing Decubitus Ulcers & Other Injuries
After working on many cases involving the development of pressure sores in a nursing home or other long term care settings, I am convinced that contractures are a tremendously under-appreciated threat to patient health. Like many ailments, we are now learning that getting older should not necessarily mean developing disabling conditions such as contractures- with the proper nursing care. What are contractures? Contractures are a medical condition where a joint is held in a fixed position (frozen joints) due to the shortening of a muscle or tendon due to stress exerted on the muscle or spasticity (uncontrolled muscle movement). Older...
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Nursing Home Staff Must Take Precautions While Moving & Transferring Disabled Patients To Minimize Risk Of Dropping
The most dangerous part of the day for many nursing home patients may be getting out of bed in the morning. When staff fail to supervise or provide proper assistance to nursing home patients during transfers, patients are at risk for falls or being dropped by staff. Disabled nursing home patients and those with physical limitations must be carefully monitored to avoid injuries while being transferred from one device to another. Some of the commonly encountered situations where patients are injured include: Bathing: facilities failing to provide assistance or provide specialized bathing equipment including chairs, stands and grips Transfer...
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Nursing Home Waits 19 Hours To Provide Medical Treatment To Resident Who Fractured Her Hip During Sabina Lift Transfer
A recently disclosed Minnesota Department of Public Health report concluded the Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea was guilty of 'neglect' due to its delay in providing medical treatment to a resident who fell during a transfer from her bed to her wheelchair. The episode took place on November 21st when a worker at the facility improperly used a Sabina lift to move a resident with dementia into a wheelchair. During the transfer, the resident fell and fractured her hip. A 'care plan' specifically stated that the resident was to wear shoes or gripper socks during transfers. At the...
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Safe Transfers
A 'transfer' in a nursing home setting generally refers to moving a patient from a bed to a wheelchair. Transfers are usually done two ways: using nursing assistants or mechanically (Hoyer lift). The type of transfer depends mainly on the patients physical condition. If a patient is capable of providing some assistance, a staff lift (one or two person transfer) is generally done. However, if a patient is paralyzed or suffers from physical disability, the use of a mechanized lift may be required to safely transfer the patient. The choice of how to transfer a patient from a bed to...
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