We all need help at one point or another over the course of our lives. Fortunately, there are many services and institutions that can step in to give us hand. Amongst these is nursing homes. When our elderly loved ones need care and we are unable to devote the time needed to adequately care for them, we may turn to what we believe are competent nursing home professionals. But, no matter how much research we conduct before choosing a nursing home, neglect and abuse can still strike, leaving our elderly relatives seriously injured or dead.
One Illinois woman has filed a lawsuit after her husband died while staying in a Chicago nursing home. According to the lawsuit, the nursing home failed to administer G-tube flushes and feedings that could have prevented extreme dehydration and malnutrition, from which the deceased suffered. He was taken to the hospital for dehydration and hypernatremia, but later died. The man’s wife is now seeking compensation for her damages.
To succeed on a claim like this, an individual must prove that the nursing home was negligent, and that negligence caused the victim’s death. In some instances, this can be quite simple. However, in others it can be a borderline case. Therefore, those who have lost a loved one to nursing home abuse or neglect, as well as those who have been injured in a nursing home, should educate themselves about the law and how it applies to their situation.
Our readers may want to learn more about the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, and negligence in general. They might also learn how to present their case in a persuasive manner that may ultimately allow them to recover the compensation to which they may be are entitled.
Source: Cook County Record, “Woman sues nursing home after alleged negligence leads to husband’s death,” Ruel Reyes, March 27, 2016
