Nursing Home Neglect Attorneys in Pikeville, Kentucky
Unfortunately, many nursing homes are understaffed, leading to a disproportionate amount of care and attention to patients.
Vanover, Hall & Bartley in Pikeville, Prestonsburg, and Ashland, Kentucky is here if you are looking for malpractice attorneys, nursing home neglect attorneys, and more. We will hold the nursing home accountable for injuries and oversights they allowed.
Bedsores
Bedsores are not only very painful, but they can lead to more serious ailments including septic shock or gangrene, and even death if left untreated. Staff should be frequently repositioning patients who are bedridden and bound to wheelchairs in order to prevent bedsores from appearing and allowing blood flow to freely circulate.
In the event that a bedsore does form, nurses and staff need to notify the patient’s doctor and family and take appropriate action to begin treatment. Due to understaffing and lack of adherence to compliance, caregivers often fail to attend to the duties necessary in preventing and addressing bedsores.
Falls, Trips, and Related Injuries
Even if a person has no prior history of falling, a single fall can occur easily – an occurrence that is not necessarily due to the negligence on part of the nursing home staff. However, in this case, repeated falls should be anticipated, and failure to instill the appropriate procedures to prevent serious injuries is deemed negligent.
Nursing home negligence can include:
- Failing to install bed rails, floor mats or other safety devices to prevent falls – Failing to install safety devices can be dangerous for patients and staff. It’s important for nursing homes to make sure these safety devices are installed to prevent accidents from happening.
- Failing to use bed alarms, call buttons, and other devices to alert staff when high-risk patients get out of bed – These devices should be should be required in all nursing homes. These alarms are not a substitute for in-person attention. Rather, they give extra alertness for patients that are high-risk. That’s why it’s important for nursing homes to install these devices in rooms with higher-risk patients.
- Dropping residents during transfers due to lack of training or staff members – There are certain cases where this event happens. Patients are occasionally dropped by staff members due to inexperience. That’s why nursing homes should make sure that their staff members have the right training and experience when handling patients.
- Failure to properly supervise residents – Keeping a watchful eye on patients is very crucial. We have to remember that some of these people have conditions or ailments that require constant attention. It falls on the staff members to make sure that these patients are taken care of.
- Allowing walking hazards such as wet floors and loose carpeting – Walking hazards should always be kept under control. Wet floors and loose carpeting can easily trip a patient and cause serious injury to them.
These are the reasons why it’s important to seek the help of a medical malpractice attorney. They are the ones who will help and guide you through the legal process. They can also give you the compensation you need.