San Luis Obispo Nursing Home Hip Fracture Lawyer

Hip fractures in nursing homes and assisted living facilities can be truly devastating and can completely change an older adult’s quality of life going forward. In the worst cases, they can lead to death. Nearly all hip fracture injuries in nursing homes are preventable with proper individualized planning, adequate care giving, and safety measures. If you have an elderly loved one in a nursing home who recently sustained a hip fracture and suspect negligence, you should seek advice from a San Luis Obispo nursing home hip fracture lawyer who can evaluate the case and help you to determine your options for filing a claim.

A hip fracture is a serious bone break injury that can ultimately be life-threatening, according to the Mayo Clinic, and the risk of sustaining a hip fracture increases as we age. Indeed, the Mayo Clinic explains that “risk increases because bones tend to weaken with age,” and “multiple medication, poor vision, and balance problems also make older people more likely to fall.”

When an older adult in a nursing home does sustain a broken hip injury, that injured senior will almost always require hip surgery, and many seniors require a hip replacement and physical therapy afterward. To be clear, hip fractures are not inevitable. They can be prevented at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

When a hip fracture does occur in a nursing home or assisted living facility, what is the cause? The following are common causes of nursing home hip fractures in San Luis Obispo that may warrant an investigation by a qualified elder neglect lawyer:

• Falls out of bed.
• Falls in the bathroom or getting out of the shower.
• Slips and falls while walking (without assistance).
• Twisting while standing, or
• Intentional acts.

When a hip fracture results from a fall caused by passive neglect, or when a hip fracture results from intentional abuse, the nursing home or assisted living home in San Luis Obispo can be liable, especially if the risk for falling and fractures was well known to caregivers. It is also important to know that skilled nursing facilities can be liable if they fail to help a senior get immediate and necessary medical care when a hip fracture does occur. The failure to promptly examine for injury, or call for help, can be the basis of liability.

In order to hold a skilled nursing facility accountable for a hip fracture, it is important to reach out to an attorney within one year from the date of the suspected negligence or neglect.

Nobody should have to worry about an elderly loved one sustaining a life-altering and debilitating hip fracture injury in a nursing facility that is paid to keep a loved on safe. Yet when nursing homes are understaffed, poorly trained, or simply asleep at the wheel, residents do not receive the type of care that is necessary to keep patients safe from slip/fall hazards, and the consequential injuries. Worse, pip fracture injuries tend to be much more serious for older adults who can lose their mobility as a result of the bone break.

If you suspect wrongdoing on the part of caregivers, do not hesitate to get in touch with our experienced San Luis Obispo nursing home hip fracture lawyers to find out more about filing a lawsuit against the facility where the hip fracture occurred. Contact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group for more information about filing a claim.