Nursing Home Injury

In southern Illinois, many nursing homes are drastically underfunded and understaffed. The sometimes fail to employ good people or they simply forget to do background checks. Painful injuries are not uncommon. These can include bedsores, falls, fractures, medication errors, and even death. If you or a loved one are the victim of nursing home abuse in southern Illinois, you need representation right away. An experienced elder abuse lawyer can advise you on how long you have to file your lawsuit, as well as the potential for success. Just remember, if you don’t take action, who will?

BEDSORES

Bedsores are also known as pressure ulcers. Often nursing homes are careless about handling the day-to-day care of seniors. Residents who are unable to move about on their own are supposed to be regularly repositioned by staff. This requires that the facility maintain sufficient numbers of staff in order to perform these tasks. Likewise, nutrition plays a big role in healing. So, when nursing homes cut corners, ignore patient safety, and allow residents to develop these painful, yet usually preventable, wounds, it can lead to devastating consequences.

Bedsores, when left untreated, can lead to:

• Infections
• Sepsis
• Painful surgeries
• Disfigurement
• Increased risk of health complications
• Failure to thrive
• Death

Bedsores are often overlooked because they show up on hidden areas, right above bony places, like the tailbone, shoulders, elbows, heels, and even back of the neck. If your loved one is developing bedsores in an Illinois nursing home, contact an aggressive nursing home abuse lawyer today. There are strict time limits on getting justice, so do not delay. For the past decade, attorney Jaye Lindsay has been helping families fight back against negligent Illinois nursing homes. We can be reached 24/7 at (618) 515-5555.

FALLS

As people age, health problems can lead to decreased mobility. Many individuals residing in Illinois nursing homes are there for rehabilitation and strengthening. They go to get better, to heal from surgery, and to regain independence. Unfortunately, poor care, low staffing numbers, and ownership who put profits ahead of people can all lead to less than adequate care. Falls are among the most common injuries seen in nursing homes. Some of the most common causes of falls include:

• Lack of assistance with toileting
• Improper bed check schedule
• Lack of precautions, such as bed alarms, lowered beds, or staff attendance
• Accepting patients with needs that are greater than what the facility can provide
• Poor continence care

Many times, residents may also suffer from dementia or other memory conditions that can lead them to forget that they are unable to walk. These patients present a unique challenge, but it is not a reason to suffer falls. A nursing home should have measures in place to ensure that such patients are frequently attended to and assisted with going to the restroom, changing clothes, and performing other activities of daily living. Falls can lead to:

• Hip and leg fractures
• Head injuries
• Advanced deterioration in condition
• Painful and expensive surgeries in late life, which can have added risks
• Death

If your loved one has suffered injuries from falls in a nursing home, give Crossroad Legal a call today. We are available to take your call 24/7. There’s no fee to get started, and we only collect payment if we recover compensation for you and your family.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

As hard as it is for most of us to imagine, there are those who would abuse and physically assault vulnerable seniors living in nursing homes and assisted living environments. These terrible people may be frustrated by work or simply lack compassion for others. Regardless of why they do it, when it happens to someone you love, there is no excuse and nothing that can make it alright. While there are criminal laws that can be used to prosecute these despicable people, this doesn’t fix the harm that has been done.

Often, physical abuse can lead to psychological injuries, physical injuries, expensive hospitalizations, and more. For these things, a nursing home resident can seek financial compensation. If your loved one has been abused in a nursing home, call Crossroad Legal today. Our attorney has spent the majority of his career fighting for the rights of injured nursing home residents in Illinois. Call us 24/7 at (618) 515-5555.

SEXUAL ABUSE

Among all the disgusting and cruel things that people can do to a senior, sexual abuse is perhaps the worst. Nursing homes in Illinois are required to perform extensive background checks on employees. Likewise, they are supposed to have protections in place to properly supervise employees. There is never an excuse for sexual abuse of a nursing home resident.

If your loved one has been the victim or sexual assault, rape, harassment, or some other type of sex crime in an Illinois nursing home, call an attorney who will aggressively fight to seek compensation and hold the facility accountable.

INFECTIONS/SEPSIS

Illinois nursing home residents are frequently exposed to bacterial infections or worse. Nursing homes are breeding grounds for infections. Sadly, most infections are entirely preventable with good care. Nursing homes are typically understaffed, and employees sometimes receive little to no real training on preventative precautions. Cross-contamination is a big problem too. Common infections include:

• Sepsis
• Urinary tract infection
• Infected bedsores
• MRSA
• C-Diff
• Pneumonia
• Infected surgical sites and wounds
• STDs (from sexual assault or from other residents)

For the past decade, attorney Jaye R. Lindsay has been a strong advocate for seniors throughout the state. He has written numerous articles and continuing education materials that continue to be used by other attorneys in pursuing elder abuse cases. He has recovered millions in compensation for injured seniors and their families.

If you or a loved one have suffered from preventable infections in a southern Illinois nursing home, call (618) 515-5555 and speak with an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer in southern Illinois.

MEDICATION ERRORS

Nursing homes, also referred to as long-term care or skilled nursing facilities, exist to provide both short-term rehabilitation and long-term residency for those who need an advanced level of care. Each facility must have a medical director. This individual is a licensed physician who may serve multiple facilities at the same time. This individual is responsible for oversight, but the actual nursing staff are in charge of the day-to-day care.

It is not uncommon for improper medications to be administered, leading to severe side effects or negative reactions. Whether due to poor training, low staffing, or a lack of attention to detail, nursing home patients often are not given the medication they need, or medications are administered improperly. These types of mistakes can be deadly to those who are dependent on medications for their survival. If a loved one has died or been seriously injured due to a medication mistake in a southern Illinois nursing home, call Crossroad Legal today, and get a free consultation with an attorney to determine if compensation may be available.

DEATH

Unfortunately, there is a misconception that all nursing home residents go to nursing homes to die. This is simply an improper view. Most nursing home residents are admitted to be treated and get sent home. Even those with terminal illnesses are to be treated with dignity and respect. Every year, many southern Illinois nursing home residents die due to poor care and negligence.

When a loved one dies due to careless or inadequate medical care in a nursing home, the surviving next-of-kin have the right to bring a Wrongful Death Action. 

This means the surviving family can file a lawsuit to recover compensation for things like:

• Final expenses
• Medical bills
• Loss of emotional support
• Loss of financial support
• Loss of companionship

In addition to a Wrongful Death Action, families often can bring a lawsuit under the Nursing Home Care Act, which allows families to seek compensation for things the deceased would have otherwise been able to claim had he or she survived. These may include:

• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earning and wages

If a loved one has passed away due to injuries in a southern Illinois nursing home, call (618) 515-5555 and request to speak with an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer today.