Wrongful Death In Nursing Homes

When a resident dies as a direct result of nursing home negligence, neglect or abuse, the family may be entitled to wrongful death benefits.  Unfortunately, nursing home residents die each year as a result of nursing home neglect and abuse.  In many cases, injuries resulting in death at a nursing home could have been prevented if the proper standards of care were followed.  

Wrongful death can be identified as a death that is directly attributed to the fault of another individual or collection of individuals.  Wrongful death in nursing homes can be a result of:

• Serious infection
• Falls
• Medication errors
• Severe bedsores
• Abuse 
• Dehydration
• Malnutrition
• Unsanitary conditions
• Wandering or elopement

For these reasons and more it is important to determine whether a death in a nursing home was caused by the nursing home's negligence or not.  Attorney Joel Bryant understands the effects of nursing home abuse and with his experience he will investigate your claim to help find the cause of death to your loved one.  Often the cause of the death on the death certificate will not provide the necessary evidence that abuse or neglect occurred.  For example, the death certificate may list the official cause of death as "heart failure" when the underlying cause was actually malnutrition and dehydration caused by nursing home neglect. 

Nursing homes are often inadequately staffed.  Nursing home residents depend on the staff for the basic essentials of life, like food, water, medicine, toileting, and grooming.  When the nursing home does not have enough staff or well trained staff to care for its residents serious injuries may occur which sometimes lead to wrongful death.  The nursing home is negligent for not providing the necessary care, treatment, or services to its residents.  Some examples of nursing home negligence which may lead to wrongful death include:

• Failure to provide food or water causing malnutrition or dehydration
• Failure to provide a safe and clean environment
• Failure to assist with personal hygiene
• Failure to provide adequate medical care
• Failure to prevent bed sores or provide treatment to heal bed sores

California Attorney Joel Bryant knows that wrongful death may occur in nursing homes resulting from improper care.  If you are experiencing pain and suffering from a loved one who has died in a nursing home because of improper treatment wrongful please contact Attorney Joel Bryant today for a free legal consultation.  Mr. Bryant will investigate your claim to determine if negligence was the cause and if your family is entitled to wrongful death compensation.