Los Angeles Nursing Home Lawyer For Residents Who Are Dropped

Nursing home residents often lack the ability to fully move from one location to another, requiring the assistance of nursing home staff and nurses to help make these transfers. Whether it’s being transferred from their bed to a wheelchair, or to and from the restroom, seniors and dependent adults often need assistance in order to get from point A to point B. With this in mind, most Los Angeles nursing facilities have protocols on how to properly and safely transfer their patients.

Too often, however, these procedures are not followed correctly or shortcuts are taken, and the patient gets dropped during a transfer. These drops can be devastating, causing a major injury or in some cases costing the patient their life. Attorneys for dropped patients in nursing homes in the Los Angeles area can assist families in navigating legal recourse if they believe the home is responsible for the death or injury.

There are several types of transfers that can lead to a patient drop, most of these transfers are routine from one area to the next. Many of the patients that need these transfers have limited mobility and use a wheelchair, meaning they are typically being transferred into and out of a wheelchair. Common transfers are as follows:

• From wheelchair to chair or chair to wheelchair
• From wheelchair to bed or bed to wheelchair
• From wheelchair to shower or bath
• From wheelchair to toilet
• Sling lift falls
• Hoyer lift falls

Depending on the weight, mobility, and ability of patients, there often may need to be two or more staff members assisting in a transfer, or even the help of a mechanical lift.

Injuries that can occur from dropping a patient that is already likely frail, with limited mobility, can be life threatening. When observing cases of this sort, attorneys have found that when the fall occurs, the patient is often elevated and falling further than they normally would. The patient is also unable to break their fall due to them being in a weakened state. Falling directly on their tailbone or hip can cause a series of injuries. Some common injuries that dropped patients sustain are as follows:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Fractured bones (either in the arms, legs, hips, or face)
• Internal organ damage
• Death

Falls can occur for a number of reasons, and are typically due less to abuse, and more a case of bad judgement or negligence by a health care worker. If a worker does not properly follow protocol designed to keep a patient from sustaining a fall or drop, the consequences could be grave. One of the main reasons a fall could occur is not necessarily negligence on behalf of a health care worker, but severe understaffing at the facility (which is a common issue in large cities such as Los Angeles), as well as insufficient training provided to nursing home staff. Another key reason that attorneys find responsible for patient drops is faulty or old equipment designed to aid in transfers. If a Hoyer or similar lift is not replaced or properly maintained over time, patients can be put at serious risk when being transferred using this equipment. This is where a Los Angeles nursing home dropping patients’ lawyer can help.

Have you suspected that a loved one has been the victim of a nursing home dropping incident or death in the Los Angeles area? If so, call the office or contact us today at the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced Los Angeles nursing home dropping patients’ attorneys now.