Tucson Nursing Home Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Tucson nursing home Devon Gables has reached a settlement in wrongful death lawsuit bought by the family of a hospice patient who died from sepsis after developing severe pressure sores. It is one of three lawsuits for neglect and abuse that the Tucson nursing home currently has pending against it.
The Arizona Daily Star reports that the settlement was reached with Kathleen Havens, whose mother, Irma Smith, died at Devon Gables in 2006. The settlement was reached shortly before Havens was set to testify. Though Smith was a hospice patient, Havens and her attorney argued that Smith's death was hastened by the staff members at Devon Gables because she developed sepsis from a pressure sore.
Pressure sores, also called bed sores or pressure ulcers, are one of the most pervasive and serious symptoms of nursing home neglect. Pressure sores develop from a lack of blood to a certain area of the body, caused by persistent pressure on that area. The elderly and physically disabled are prone to bed sores because they cannot move and reposition themselves when lying in bed.
Nursing home staff are required to move residents at certain intervals throughout the day. If the resident's care plan is being followed, there should be no reason for pressure sores to develop. However, unfortunately, 23% of long-term care residents will develop pressure sores at some point and 8% of nursing home deaths are caused by bed sores.
For more information on bed sores, you can read this MedlinePlus report. If you have a loved one in a nursing home and are afraid neglect is leading to bed sores, you should contact an experienced Arizona nursing home abuse attorney.
For additional information on bed sores and pressure ulcers, visit the Nursing Home Advocates Bed Sores information page.
