Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Here is a sampling of Walton Law Firm results in the area of nursing home elder abuse and neglect:

RESIDENT WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE KILLED BY VISITOR
An 87-year-old Alzhemer's patient was assaulted in his bed by a visitor to the nursing facility resulting in his death. The family alleged that the facility failed to use ordinary and customary security measures to protect nursing home patients.
Recovery: $3,000,000.00

DEMENTIA PATIENT WANDERS FROM FACILITY, HIT BY CAR
A 77-year-old man with dementia wandered away from his San Bernardino assisted living facility and was killed while crossing a nearby road. He had only been a resident of the facility for a week, and was placed there only to prevent his wandering. Otherwise he was healthy. Even hours after his death the assisted living facility was unaware he was not in the building.
Recovery: $1,500,000.00

ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENT DIES AFTER BEING DENIED INSULIN
After a serious about with Covid, Bob spent 100 days in a skilled nursing facility. His health gradually improved to the point where skilled nursing was no longer needed and it was arranged for him to be transferred to a nearby assisted living facility. Bob was an insulin dependent diabetic, and received insulin shots every day while in the nursing home. The family was assured he would get his insulin in assisted living. Ten days after arriving in assisted living, Bob was found unresponsive. The family insisted that 911 was called, and upon arrival paramedics found Bob in full-blown diabetic ketoacidosis. He had not received any insulin for 10 days. Bob died less than 24 hours after arriving at the hospital.
Recovery: $1,200,000.00

DEMENTIA PATIENT SUFFERS MULTIPLE FALLS
An 81-year-old resident of a San Diego assisted living facility with advance dementia fell three times in a short period of time. After the third fall, she became non-ambulatory prompting a call to a physician. The physician examined the resident in bed, but failed to perform any testing to determine why she became non-ambulatory. The following week, the following week, after he health declined rapidly, the resident was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with a severely fractured hip. She died two weeks later.
Recovery: $305,000.00

HEEL WOUND LEADS TO LEG AMPUTATION
A nursing home resident developed a pressure sore on his heel that went untreated for a period of six weeks.  The wound deteriorated so badly that the resident required an above-the-knee amputation.  Despite nursing notes that suggested the wound was being treated, medical evidence revealed that the wound had in fact been ignored and that nursing assessments had been falsely charted.  Walton Law Firm brought a legal action against both the nursing home and the doctor in charge.
Recovery: $465,000.00

FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE FRACTURED HIP
Elder Neglect/Wrongful Death - After only a one-week stay in an Orange County nursing facility, a 73-year-old man was rushed to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a severely fractured right hip, malnourishment, dehydration and staph sepsis caused by bed sores he developed during the week. Plaintiff was unable to fight the septic infection and died approximately ten days later.
Recovery: $600,000.00.

ASSISTED LIVING FALL LEADS TO DEATH
Broken Hip - During the transfer of an 82-year-old resident of a Los Angeles assisted living facility, an untrained caregiver dropped the resident, and then, despite the resident expressing extreme pain, failed to get help. It took three days for an assessment to be done, and only after the family demanded it. The resident, it turned out, was suffering from a serious hip fracture. She died two days later.
Recovery: $260,000.00.

HOME CARE AGENCY NEGLECTS AND ABUSES 92-YEAR-OLD
At 92, Esther lived at home, but due to end-stage Alzheimer's Disease need assistance for all of her activities of daily living. To help, her family employed a local home care agency (not "home health" care). On one day, a caregiver was exceedingly rough with Esther, allowed her to fall, and causing Esther to suffer a complex fracture of her hip. Because of her age, she wasn't a surgical candidate and was placed on hospice. She died 30 days later.
Recovery: $400,000.00.

DISABLED ADULT SUFFERS SERIOUS HEAD INJURY
Elder Neglect/Wrongful Death - A disabled adult who lived independently, but needed daily assistance, suffered a serious brain injury when her caregivers failed to show up to provide her morning care.  The client fell and struck her head and laid unconcious for hours when family began to worry.  Brain surgery was required and permanent disability resulted.
Recovery: $1,000,000.00.

RESIDENT DIES FROM NEGLECT
Elder Abuse/Wrongful Death - An 84-year-old patient of a San Diego County skilled nursing facility died after suffering neglect.
Recovery: $350,000.00.

HOSPITAL PATIENT ASSAULTED BY NURSE
An elderly patient with Alzheimer’s disease was punched in the face by a frustrated caregiver after the patient resisted care.  The patient, who suffered facial brusing and a decline in mental function, could not speak.  The hospital failed to inform the family of the assault for more than a week.
Recovery: $300,000.00

DYING RESIDENT FOUND WITH LIVE INSECTS IN EYES AND MOUTH
Elder Abuse/Neglect - After arriving by ambulance at the emergency room from a Vista residental care facility, doctors found 92-year-old man suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, and severe muscle wasting.  He also was noted as having live insect activity in his eyes and mouth. He died less than a week later.
Recovery: $1,000,000.00.

POORLY TRAINED STAFF DROPS 82 YEAR OLD
Elder Neglect - An 82-year-old resident of a residential care facility suffered a fractured femur after she was dropped by an untrained, inexperienced, unsupervised employee during what should have been a routine transfer from the toilet to her wheelchair.
Recovery: $275,000.00.

IN-HOME CAREGIVER NEGLIGENTLY DROPS 93 YEAR OLD
Elder Abuse- A home health care provider dropped a 93-year-old only minutes after be instructed by the elderly victims son never to let go of his mother's arm.
Recovery: $365,000.00.

BEDSORE EXPOSES TAILBONE
Elder Neglect/Wrongful Death - A 90-year-old patient suffered excruciating pain as the result of the formation of several pressure ulcers, one of which was so large it exposed her tailbone. She died a short time later.
Recovery: $300,000.00.

OVERMEDICATED RESIDENT FALLS AND FRACTURES HIP
Elder Neglect/Wrongful Death - A 94-year-old man who was over-medicated fell while residing in a Riverside residential care facility. He sustained a severely broken hip and shoulder and died before doctors could operate.
Recovery: $700,000.00.

MASSIVE WEIGHT LOSS KILLS RESIDENT
Nursing Home Abuse/Neglect - A 78-year-old resident of a skilled nursing facility died after losing 25 pounds over a period of seven days while at the facility.
Recovery: $375,000.00.

THYROID MEDICATION WITHHELD FOR 26 DAYS
Nursing Home Abuse/Neglect - The resident of a San Bernardino skilled nursing facility died after the nursing home failed to administer her thyroid medication over a period of 26 days.
Recovery: $910,000.00.

NURSING FACILITY IGNORES FALL RISK
Nursing Home Abuse/Wrongful Death - An 87-year-old skilled nursing facility resident/patient died after the facility's nursing staff failed to plan care for the patient's well-documented "high risk" status for falls.
Recovery: $475,000.00.

NEGLECT OF CATHETER CAUSES INFECTION
Nursing Home Abuse/Wrongful Death - An 83-year-old resident of a skilled nursing facility died of severe urospesis, which was contracted after the defendant facility failed to properly care for and cleanse her catheter.
Recovery: $600,000.00.

DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED ADULT ABUSED
Dependent Adult/Wrongful Death - After enduring several months of physical abuse while a resident of a state-run disability center, a 31-year-old developmentally disabled adult male, was killed by a significant blow to the abdomen. An examination of the body determined that the fatal blow was likely intentional.
Recovery: $950,000.00.