Elder Law

Neglect Causes Resident's Foot to Become Maggot-Infested

By Levin & Perconti

Regular readers of the blog are aware that negligence at nursing homes takes many forms and causes a variety of problems for residents. On one hand there are troubling conditions at certain facilities that pose problems to everyone?like inadequate heating, insufficient hot water, and lacking security protocols. On the other hand, there is negligence related to certain individuals. Many residents enter a home for a very specific recovery program following health problems. Those residents are especially vulnerable when nursing home employees fail to take into account their individualized care needs.

One egregious example of individualized neglect from a few years ago was reported in the Sun Sentinel. The article explains the story of a 72-year old woman who visited the Lake Park nursing home for a short stay after suffering from foot problems. She had a wound on her foot that needed to be cleaned and changed regularly.

However, even that basic task was never performed by the staff members who were paid to provide her care. In only 18 days at the facility her foot condition went from healing to unsalvageable. The employees failed to properly clean the wound; instead they just kept wrapping more bandages around it.

As a result, maggots began infesting her foot. When a doctor finally examined her injury to check on its progress, he found hundreds of live maggots jumping around her bandages. Eventually the victim?s foot had to be amputated.

The resident sued the negligent facility for their conduct a jury ruled in her favor, providing a $1.3 million verdict for the nursing home negligence.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on December 15, 2010 (boomark / email).