New Mexico Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawyer

Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is already a very emotional, often painful decision. Losing that loved one due to some type of negligence on behalf the home is unfathomable.

A Wrongful Death Occurring in a Nursing Home Specifically for the Safety of Your Loved Ones Seems Unfathomable.

You have taken great care in deciding which nursing home facility to choose and you want the best for your loved one. Unfortunately, nursing home residents die each year as a result of nursing home neglect and abuse. These include deaths associated with bedsores, elopement & wandering, falls, malnutrition and dehydration – even the use of excessive chemical and physical restraintsIn many cases, improperly trained staff or poor operational oversight leads to life-threatening infections, falls, injuries, and illnesses that could have been prevented if the proper standards of care had been followed. Determining whether a death was caused by a nursing home’s negligence requires investigation by experienced attorneys and qualified medical experts. In some cases, the nursing home will try to cover up the cause of death by stating that the resident was elderly and not in good health. For example, the death certificate may list the official cause of death as “heart failure” when the real underlying cause was malnutrition and dehydration caused by nursing home neglect.

Causes Of Wrongful Death In New Mexico Nursing Homes

Wrongful death in nursing homes can be defined as a death that is directly attributed to the fault of another individual or collection of individuals. Wrongful death in nursing homes can be a result of:

• Serious infections like bedsores
• Lack of resident supervision
• Falls
• Unsanitary conditions
• Neglect of resident’s basic needs
• Medication errors

Identifying Nursing Home Neglect That Led to Wrongful Death

Elderly abuse and neglect is a widespread epidemic.  It is particularly disheartening to know that most of the abuse goes unreported. We must be educated and understand what elder abuse is if we have any chance of putting an end to it.  One of the key factors to preventing and stopping elder abuse is being able to recognize the signs.  Some of the most common signs of elderly abuse are as follows:

• Unexplained injuries or bruises
• Over or under medication
• Visible cuts, bruises, or welts
• Rapid weight loss or weight gain
• Dehydration, malnutrition, and bedsores
• Unsanitary living conditions
• Infections
• Broken bones
• Sudden death