As we age, it becomes increasingly difficult to care for oneself, and eventually, family or friends may make the decision to send their loved one to a nursing home for permanent and 24-hour care. It is expected that during the time when a patient is in a nursing home, that he or she will be treated by nursing home staff and doctors with care and consideration to ensure that the patient’s health is not compromised.
Life in a nursing home can difficult for patients, and they may not receive acceptable or appropriate care. Compounding the issue is the fact that many elderly patients are unable to care for themselves or even report instances of abuse to loved ones or family or friends who visit.
Such appears to be the case for the Atrium Health Care Chicago nursing home facility which was recently hit with a wrongful death claim. According to the suit, a patient was not properly treated for pressure ulcers which ultimately contributed to the patient’s death. It is believed that a lack of proper supervision is what initially led to the ulcers and ultimately the death of the patient.
Wrongful death and negligence are serious concerns for patients and the loved ones of patients who reside in nursing homes. Nursing homes are expected to follow a reasonable standard of care for all their patients, and instances of Chicago nursing home neglect should always be addressed to help protect patients and assure that compensation is awarded in cases of mistreatment and neglect by health care facilities.
Source: Cook County Record, “Atrium Health Care Chicago accused of negligence in connection with death,” By Louie Torres, Dec. 1, 2016