89-Year-Old Woman Dies Trapped in Bed Railing
A North Wales nursing home was fined earlier in the week after an 89-year-old woman got trapped in the railing of her bed and died of asphyxiation. The Walesonline report states that the woman’s head got wedged between that were meant to keep the woman from falling. This incident was the second one to occur in roughly three weeks at the same facility.
According to a court judge, the woman’s death was entirely avoidable if the employees at the facility had taken the proper measures in training to use the rails properly. As a result of this negligence, the facility’s operators were forced to pay a £91,800 court fine (roughly $151,000 U.S). In the previous incident that occurred in 2008, they facility’s operators were required to pay a fine of £70,000 (roughly $115,000 U.S).
When your loved ones require medical care that you could not possibly provide for them, selecting a nursing home with capable, competent staff is one of the most important factors to take into account. A nursing home’s staff should be fully trained to work with any and all equipment that your loved ones may require for their medical care. If a facility fails to maintain its safety precautions and does not properly train its staff in the use of something like bed rails, they should be held accountable for any accidents or deaths that may occur in their facility. The decision of the court to hold this facility responsible for the elderly woman’s death was necessary not only as a reprimand against the facility but to demonstrate that elder care should not be taken lightly and that every employee in the facility should be properly trained in safe use of equipment.
