A resident’s arm was broken during what should have been routine care. The man is a resident of the Bronzeville Park Nursing and Living Center in Chicago, Illinois with diagnoses of quadriplegia, depression, gastric ulcer, and diabetes.
Having quadriplegia means a person is unable to move both their arms as well as their legs. The condition is usually a result of an injury to the spinal cord, but there can also be medical conditions that can cause quadriplegia.
Needless to say, a person with quadriplegia needs assistance with all activities that encompass daily life including toileting, bathing, feeding, and regular medical treatments.
For residents with quadriplegia, bed sores (also known as pressure ulcers) are a constant threat. Bed sores are open wounds that develop on patients under a specific set of conditions. When residents are left in damp or unclean beds, are malnourished or dehydrated, and are left without repositioning for extended periods of time, bed sores can quickly develop.
These wounds can often extend to the bone, and are extremely prone to infection. They can prove fatal.
Repositioning a person with quadriplegia requires extreme care and proper training as their limbs can become extremely fragile.
According to the resident, the two Certified Nurses Aides (CNA) who were attempting to reposition him were not properly trained. He was trying to instruct them when his arm became stuck. He heard the bone snap twice, leaving him in intense pain.
Training staff in the proper techniques of patient care is the responsibility of Bronzeville Park Nursing and Living Center, not the residents who live there. Broken bones can easily lead to infections and other, more drastic consequences.
One of our core beliefs is that nursing homes are built to fail due to the business model they follow and that unnecessary injuries and illnesses and wrongful deaths of residents are the inevitable result. Order our FREE report, Built to Fail, to learn more about why. Our experienced Chicago nursing home lawyers are ready to help you understand what happened, why, and what your rights are. Contact us to get the help you need.
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