California Woman Suffers Untreated Burns at Nursing Home
The family of a woman in Bakersfield, CA is accusing her nursing home of not treating severe burns and allowing them to spread over a large portion of her body. Doctors believe the burns were a result of medication the woman was taking, but the failure of the nursing home staff to notice and take proper action caused the problem to become much more severe. This case highlights what can happen when nursing home staffers are inattentive and neglectful.
65-year-old Patricia Dias suffers from multiple sclerosis and was admitted to Bakersfield Heart Hospital for a blood pressure problem. After a few weeks, she was transferred to LifeHouse Parkview nursing home to be treated for a bed sore. After less than two weeks at the nursing home, Dias had developed severe burns over large portions of her body. Her family transferred her out of the nursing home and outside doctors said the burns were most likely the result of a reaction to her medication and that the nursing home staff should have looked at them much sooner.
It is likely that Mrs. Dias was a victim of nursing home neglect. Nursing home staff must be attentive to the needs of their residents and take note of any unusual symptoms. Side effects from medications are a common problem for nursing home residents, who are often taking several types of medication at once, and it is the job of the nursing home staff to notice and take action when side effects first develop. Not taking action on side effects may make a small problem turn into a much larger one.
For more information on nursing home neglect, visit the Solomon & Relihan Nursing Home Advocates website.
