Check out 'The Soloff & Zervanos Show' Podcast on WWDB Talk 860 - Click Here!

Nursing home negligence lawsuit brought by woman in Pennsylvania

Posted in Nursing Home Neglect on Friday, April 10, 2015.

The safety of our loved ones is a serious concern for anyone which is why legal protections are available in circumstances of nursing home neglect. A woman in Pennsylvania recently brought a lawsuit against a nursing home, asserting negligent care of her mother. The woman’s mother had been at the skilled nursing facility for approximately two years when, at the age of 95, she was being treated for a type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, on her scalp. The woman asserts that the lesion associated with the skin cancer on her mother’s scalp was left uncovered for varying periods of time, that she found blood on her mother’s clothing and that, at one point, she found live maggots in the wound.

Once the nursing home staff was notified of the situation, a treatment plan was developed that provided for regular cleansing and dressing of the wound and the application of antibiotics and bandages to the wound. The woman asserts that the condition of her mother’s wound continued to deteriorate and she was transferred to a hospice facility. The woman additionally asserts that her mother’s wound healed at the second facility where she remained until her death the following year. The cause of death was listed at heart failure and basal cell carcinoma.

In her claim, the woman is accusing the nursing home of negligence and has charged it failed to provide for her mother’s physical safety; failed to provide a safe environment; failed to provide adequate staff; or properly manage her mother’s care. The woman is seeking damages to compensate for her mother’s pain and suffering. Unfortunately, elderly individuals can be vulnerable to nursing home neglect, nursing home abuse and mistreatment.

Because of the vulnerable nature of the victims of nursing home negligence and their families, legal protections are available to help them and assist when they have been harmed. Families should be familiar with the legal rights and protections available to them to help ensure their loved ones are properly cared for and kept safe.

Source: The Pennsylvania Record, “Woman says she found maggots in mother’s wound while at nursing home,” John O’Brien, April 2, 2015