We occasionally get questions about recommending a good nursing home for someone. Invariably, I respond that I’ll let them know as soon as I find one.
The truth is that Texas nursing homes rank at the bottom of study after study when it comes to the safety and quality of care. In my view, it boils down to the fact that Texas-style tort reform doesn’t put much value on the lives of our precious elderly people.
I suspect that some nursing home owners and leaders consciously decide to operate with inadequate staff because they know that the financial consequences, if any, will be cheaper than doing things the right way.
From our experience in handling many nursing home cases, we know what staffing problems might look like in real life:
• Nurses are nowhere to be found when the patient or family asks for help
• There’s usually only one registered nurse (RN) on duty for the whole skilled nursing facility (SNF), leaving nursing care for complicated patients to less-trained licensed vocational nurses (LVNs)
• Doctors aren’t on site, so there may be a significant delay in getting medical attention because there aren’t enough nurses on duty to advocate for orders or physician evaluation
A new Ohio nursing home lawsuit illustrates the horrible things that can happen with inadequate care.
The lawsuit claims that an elderly patient developed Stage 4 bedsores (also called pressure or decubitus ulcers) while at a nursing home facility. Stage 4 bedsores are so severe that you can see deep structures of the body including muscle, bone, tendon, or cartilage.
The standard of care requires nursing home staff to assess each patient’s skin integrity upon admission and to make a plan of care that minimizes the risk of developing bedsores. Nursing homes should hire and have on duty enough staff to turn bedridden patients every few hours to avoid development of pressure sores. Other interventions may include pillows or pads for bony prominences and even special pressure-relieving beds.
Medical and nursing experts know that the best way to treat a pressure sore is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. When one develops, though, it’s critical for the nursing staff to jump on it, notifying a physician immediately and getting appropriate orders for treatment. Typical orders would include measures to relieve pressure, keep the wound clean, and provide special nutrition to promote wound healing.
On top of these pressure sore and wound issues, the plaintiffs allege in this sad case that the patient also developed sepsis. Sepsis is a systemwide inflammatory response to an infection. In this case, the patient had a urinary tract infection (UTI), which is unfortunately common in nursing home patients.
It’s also interesting that in this case the nursing home was allegedly slow in turning over the medical records. Of course, a patient or patient’s representative has an absolute right to a copy of the medical records. Despite this, from time to time, nursing home facilities and even some hospitals drag their feet in turning over the records.
Fortunately, our staff at Painter Law Firm is well-trained on patient rights and knows how to deal with records custodians to get the documents that we need to represent our clients.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured because of poor nursing home care, then contact a top-rated experienced Houston, Texas medical malpractice lawyer for help in evaluating your potential case.
