A hospital and nursing home in New Hampshire are being sued for wrongful death in the case of an 87 year old man who died in 2011 after he developed pneumonia.
According to court documents filed at Hillsborough NH County Superior Court, the elderly man died from sepsis caused by bedsores. The suit has been filed against St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua and Kindred Healthcare, Inc. at Greenbriar Terrace in Nashua.
The wrongful death lawsuit against the medical providers states that the medical staff of both facilities failed to note the man’s bed sores when they first developed and did not document the sores. Nor did they implement devices to relieve the pressure to prevent the bed sores from worsening, according to the lawsuit documents.
The man was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital on March 20, 2011 and reportedly had dehydration and pneumonia. He stayed at the hospital for one week and developed three serious bed sores on his buttocks and sacrum.
The suit claims that the bedsores were manageable and could have healed if they had been treated properly, but the man died on April 25, 2011 after he was readmitted to the hospital with sepsis with metabolic encephalopathy.
Our Take
Many of our law firm’s clients in Virginia come to us after they suspect that their elderly loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home. This type of case happens far too often, and that is why we have written a detailed report about nursing home abuse and neglect, which you can download here.
Our report tells you what you should look out for as you are visiting your loved one:
- Pressure sores and bed sores
- Slip and fall injuries
- Malnourishment
- Dehydration
- Over medication
- Violations of federal nursing laws
- Nursing malpractice
If you ever suspect your loved one is being mistreated in a nursing home, you should first file a complaint with the appropriate department in your state; in Virginia, this is the Department of Health Professions. That will get the ball rolling on a state investigation of the possible abuse/neglect situation. Then you should consider speaking to qualified nursing home abuse legal counsel to determine if you have a case.
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