Choosing the right nursing home is a monumental decision with myriad factors to consider. Which facility can provide the appropriate level of care? Is the home close enough for regular visits? What social opportunities and activities are provided? Even facilities that seem like a perfect fit can be guilty of patient neglect and abuse, which is a devastating reality in Connecticut nursing homes. While abuse from negligent staff behavior can manifest in many ways, dropping patients is an unfortunately common occurrence.
The attorneys at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, have over a century of combined experience at their disposal when advocating for their clients. If you suspect that your loved one has been dropped by nursing home staff, it’s important to discuss the details with a skilled Connecticut nursing home abuse lawyer.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that lifting and repositioning residents is a major issue for nursing home staff. Training caregivers on how to lift and move patients is not always a sufficient preventive measure since the weight of adult patients creates an inherent risk for harm to the patient and nursing staff. The following factors often contribute to the challenge of lifting and repositioning nursing home residents:
The surrounding location also plays a major role in the safety of lifting patients. Small rooms or cluttered spaces make it more difficult for nursing home staff to safely lift residents.
Because physically moving and repositioning patients can be challenging, nursing homes must have proper precautions and preventive measures in place to prevent harm to the residents.
Falls are among the most common injury-causing accidents for elderly individuals, which means nursing homes may have few fall incidents that are not anyone’s fault. However, many nursing home falls are the result of facility or staff negligence.
When transporting patients or repositioning them, nursing home caregivers must ensure that the resident’s care plan is closely followed. Nursing home facilities are obligated to assess each resident’s needs and create an appropriate care plan to keep patients as safe and healthy as possible. Factors such as the propensity for falls should be included in a care plan. An evaluation of a resident’s health history and conditions may include:
Assistive devices and other fall prevention strategies should be included as part of the care plan. Walkers, canes, grab bars, and various other measures can be taken to increase a resident’s safety. If your loved one was being lifted or repositioned without the necessary safety precautions to prevent falls and sustained injuries, they may have experienced being dropped by caregivers.
Even falls from bed could involve nursing home liability. Adjusting bed heights, adding safety rails, and special raised perimeter mattresses are just some of the preventive measures long-term care facilities could implement to prevent falls, or lessen the severity of injury. Falling from bed is not uncommon among nursing home residents, and it may be tied to a dropped patient accident if a caregiver was helping or should have been helping the resident in or out of bed at the time of the fall.
When Are Patients Dropped in Connecticut Nursing Homes?
Aside from getting them into and out of bed, there are many scenarios in which nursing home staff transport or move patients that could result in dropping a patient, including:
Any of these scenarios can present a risk for dropped patients, resulting in severe physical injuries and emotional harm.
If you or a loved one has been dropped by a nursing home caregiver, contact the attorneys at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, to schedule a free consultation. Our nursing home abuse lawyers have been advocating for clients throughout Connecticut for over 100 combined years. Our compassionate and diligent approach to legal representation makes us a trusted source for guidance, so reach out today to discuss the details of your dropped patient case.
