Caring for aging parents is one of the most challenging tasks that many adults face. They care for parents at home for as long as they can but as parents age and develop maladies, such as Alzheimer’s, skilled care may be required. In one such instance in Tennessee a woman lost her mother because of what she believes was neglect and is suing the facility for wrongful death.
The woman’s mother was a resident at an assisted care facility and was suffering from Alzheimer’s. She was confined to a wheelchair but was still alert and was described as a person who loved to make people laugh and who was still full of life. And then she suffered a nasty fall.
A charge nurse on duty heard a call for help and walked into the woman’s bathroom where she found the patient on the floor suffering from an apparent brain bleed and other injuries. The woman was rushed to the hospital but died five days later. The aide who was assigned to care for the woman stated that she had not attended to her in over five hours during her shift. It is believed that the woman fell trying to get to the toilet, and the charge nurse said she should not have been left alone for such a long period of time. The daughter believes that had her mother been properly attended to she would not have fallen.
The decision to place an aging parent in a nursing home or assisted living facility is not an easy one to make. If a person in Tennessee believes a loved on has suffered an injury or neglect that contributed to the person’s death while in a nursing care facility, he or she may wish to speak to a personal injury attorney. A lawyer can look at the facts of the case and help to determine if a wrongful death lawsuit is an option.