Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
Nurses employed by private nursing homes often have very difficult jobs. Private nursing homes are for-profit businesses that are primarily motivated by the bottom line. This means that the lower that staffing costs are, the more money that nursing home management or investors can take home at the end of the day. This pressure can incentivize nursing home management to keep as few nurses on the clock as possible.
For a nurse who is just trying to do her job, fewer nurses on the floor means more work. Often, nurses will have to take on additional patients due to “staffing shortages.” Since nurses are human, the more stress placed upon them, the more likely that they are to make a mistake.
Of course, being busy and overstressed is not an excuse to make a mistake that can cost someone their life, but it does tend to explain why so many serious instances of neglect and serious medical errors occur in nursing home facilities across the country.
When a nursing home resident suffers because a nurse makes a mistake or neglects to provide the appropriate level of care, the resident may be entitled to compensation. While the error is often made at the hands of the nurse, the fact remains that the nursing home is responsible for providing adequate training, support, and staff to accommodate residents’ needs.
Nurse Reads Resident’s Chart Incorrectly and Fails to Perform CPR
Late last month in Illinois, a woman died while recovering from a case of pneumonia in a nursing home. According to a local news report, the woman was supposed to be in the nursing home only for a few weeks because of complications with diabetes and kidney problems. When she was admitted into the home, she checked the box “yes” that she wanted to be resuscitated if the need arose.
On March 29, nurses found the woman lifeless and not breathing. Surveillance footage shows three nurses coming and going from the resident’s room without performing CPR or calling 911. Instead, nurses waited nearly 30 minutes before calling 911. By the time paramedics arrived, it was too late. Family members of the resident claim that nursing home staff misread the woman’s chart and failed to provide the requested CPR when it was necessary to save her life.
The surviving loved ones of the resident have filed a lawsuit; however, the case was only recently filed, and the outcome has yet to be determined.
Has Your Loved One Suffered Harm in a Maryland Nursing Home?
If you have a loved one in a Maryland nursing home, and you believe that they have not been provided with adequate medical treatment, or you suspect that they are a victim of abuse or neglect, contact a dedicated personal injury attorney. You may be entitled to monetary compensation based on the nursing home’s failure to provide the necessary level of care. The skilled personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at the Maryland-based law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have decades of experience representing nursing home residents and their families against neglectful and abusive nursing home employees. Call 410-654-3600 today to schedule a free consultation with a dedicated personal injury advocate.
More Blog Posts:
Sexual Assault in Nursing Homes Is Too Often Slow to Be Reported or Taken Seriously, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published March 10, 2017.
Nursing Home Arbitration Clauses Are Not Necessarily Binding, Depending on the Circumstances, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published March 31, 2017.