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Even though nursing homes are designed to be safe spaces for their elderly residents, injuries still happen. When an injury occurs, it’s essential that action is taken to find a resolution as quickly as possible. The reputation of the home is at stake, and so is the well-being of the injured resident and the trust of their loved ones. Here are the most common injuries that might happen in nursing homes and some ways to resolve them.
Table of Contents
Falls
Seniors are a higher fall risk than other ages. When it happens, the consequences can be devastating and cause massive complications that are hard to overcome. If your loved one has suffered from a fall and therefore injury and you suspect it was owing to a lack of care or even negligence from the caring staff, you can take action against this. There are lawyers for nursing home fall injuries that will assess your case for compensation. If just cause is found, financial compensation will enable you to move forward without the stress of medical bills and the cost of caring for your relative in the interim period.
Bedsores
Bedsores happen when an ill patient, or one with low capacity for mobility, is left in bed unattended for long time periods. They are often painful and can go unnoticed for a long time which leads to an increased risk of infection and even hospitalization. When these injuries occur, there is always someone to be held accountable. It is important to get immediate care for the seniors so they have the best chance of recovery.
Broken Bones
Broken bones can happen for many reasons from falling down to mishandling. They are a real danger to elderly people because the skeleton has already begun to deteriorate and become more brittle. It takes longer to heal and there is a good chance that the injury will reoccur with the slightest push. When you visit your loved one, make sure you take the time to ask them about any pain they might be feeling and follow up if there are any red flags.
Untreated Infections
Infections can happen to anyone for a number of reasons. However, older people are more vulnerable because of a depleted capacity to fight disease. Care staff are obligated to note any unusual physical symptoms and flag them up for medical intervention where necessary. Sometimes, this doesn’t happen and the infection leads to time in the hospital or even death. This is not an acceptable level of practice and has to be followed up should something like it occurs.
Concussions
Concussions happen when there is a severe enough head injury. They are difficult to spot after they’ve happened, but the long-term effects in an older patient are highly serious. Residents in nursing homes are at an increased risk of hitting their heads when improperly monitored, especially if there are additional complications at play like dementia.
Residents in nursing homes are vulnerable to a range of injuries. The ones explored in this post are the most common, but it is by no means a complete list. Everything needs to be dealt with in the right way, and any physical symptom has to be thoroughly investigated.
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