Wrongful Death in Memphis Nursing Homes Attorneys

What are common causes of wrongful death in Memphis nursing homes?

In a study on elder abuse by Cornell University, 7.6% to 10% of study participants had experienced abuse in the year prior to the study. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that elders who have experienced abuse had a 300% higher risk of death compared to those who had not been abused. This makes sense because being abused by the people who are supposed to be caring for them might cause your loved one to feel anxiety and distress.

Even though most of the population of nursing homes are elderly people in their golden years, an untimely death can have many causes including the following:

• Falls. Many nursing home residents can be frail and not steady on their feet. The tile floors of nursing homes can be slick, there can be random debris on the floor, or the resident could just lose his or her balance and tumble to the floor causing serious injury due to brittle bones.
• Malnutrition. If residents are not eating and drinking fluids as they should, or if they simply don’t like the food or have a diminished appetite, they can begin to lose weight, become malnourished and dehydrated which can leave them vulnerable to illness.
• Infections. From urinary tract infections, MRSA and the flu, elderly residents whose advanced age might cause them to have a compromised immune system are more susceptible to infection which, if left untreated, could lead to death.
• Physical abuse and neglect. It is a shameful fact that physical abuse of vulnerable elders in nursing homes is far too common.
• Medical malpractice. Often elderly nursing home residents’ medical conditions go undiagnosed and untreated due to neglectful staff members. Medication errors and misdiagnosis are other forms of malpractice that can lead to the death of a resident.