Nursing home facility staff must provide an appropriate standard of attention to every resident under their care. When nursing home workers neglect to provide the proper level of care, residents can suffer an injury when using a wheelchair or transferring from a wheelchair to a bed, toilet, or shower.
If a long-term care facility in New York has failed to satisfy the duty of care they owed to your family member, you have the right to seek justice for any injuries your loved one has suffered as a result. At Dalli & Marino, our attorneys are passionate about making things right for neglected or abused nursing home residents and their families. Since our founding in 1996, we have recovered millions of dollars for clients in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
How Can New York Nursing Home Workers Prevent a Wheelchair Accident?
Nursing home personnel should be trained to identify any residents at risk of falling from their wheelchairs and develop a safe environment to minimize the possibility of an accident. People suffering from the following issues may be more likely to suffer a fall from a wheelchair:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Balance problems
- Confusion
- Declining health
- Dementia
- Physical limitations
- Residents with a history of falling
By providing residents with physical and occupational therapy, a therapist can assess their gait, posterior, or mobility and design a personalized care plan. Therapy can help improve cognitive ability, balance, and physical strength, which, in turn, can reduce the risk of suffering a wheelchair accident injury.
How Can New York Nursing Home Staff Prevent Residents in Wheelchairs from Developing Bedsores?
Bedsores, also known as “pressure ulcers,” are injuries that develop when blood supply is cut off from the skin for long periods, causing the skin to die and develop painful sores. If left untreated, they can extend into the muscle and bone or break open and become infected. Depending on the resident’s physical condition, pressure sores can take years to heal or require surgical intervention.
Nursing home residents who use wheelchairs have some of the highest risks for developing bedsores. To prevent these painful injuries, care facility staff must ensure residents do not remain in a wheelchair for longer than 3-4 hours and should reposition their bodies at least once every ninety minutes to two hours.
Common Injuries New York Nursing Home Residents Suffer in Wheelchair Accidents
When workers at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are not adequately trained on how to transport residents in wheelchairs safely, they can suffer catastrophic injuries. An unexpected fall from a wheelchair can lead to injuries such as:
- Broken bones or fractures
- Bruising
- Crushed limbs or digits
- Diminished confidence or dignity
- Lacerations
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Many residents of care facilities are too frail to safely get themselves into or out of their wheelchairs and require the assistance of one or more certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to do so. Unfortunately, if the facility lacks sufficient staffing, residents can grow impatient and attempt to get in or out of their chairs without the assistance they need to do so in a safe manner.
Has Your Loved One Suffered an Injury in a Wheelchair Accident in a New York Nursing Home?
Many wheelchair accidents in New York nursing homes are the result of the facility’s negligence. Suppose you have a family member that has been injured or killed in a wheelchair accident because of a negligent long-term care facility. In that case, a Dalli & Marino personal injury attorney can help you hold them responsible for their carelessness.
At Dalli & Marino, our nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers work tirelessly to hold negligent nursing homes accountable for wheelchair accident injuries suffered under their care or lack thereof. Call (888) 465-8790 or complete our contact form today to speak with an attorney for free about your legal options.
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