The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the state of California has fined Eskaton Care Center Manzanita $100,000 over a 2008 incident involving an improperly maintained mechanical lift that dropped a patient. The incident reportedly caused her to strike her head. As a result, she experienced bleeding in the brain and suffered brain damage and a stroke. She died four days after the fall accident. The $100,000 penalty amount is the highest fine that can be issued under state law.
According to a California Department of Public Health report, nursing assistants were transferring the 60-year-old, who was suffered from diabetes, a heart condition, and a muscle wasting disease, from her wheelchair back to her bed when the lift sling that was holding her broke. The woman struck her head on the nearby door as she fell. She was sent to an emergency room for treatment of her serious injuries.
The facility maintenance directors says that sling that broke hadn't been checked in five years even though it was supposed to be inspected monthly. The nursing home has since submitted a plan of correction to the state.
Nursing Home Falls
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 18,000 nursing home deaths are caused by fall accidents. A fall injury can cause serious health complications--especially if the resident is already sick or frail. However, there are steps that nursing home workers can take to prevent fall accidents from happening. Proper maintenance and use of a mechanical lift, making sure (when required) that more than one resident is assisting in the lifting of a patient, the setting up of handrails along hallways, the installation of bedrails, and the use of alarm devices that activates when a patient attempts to get out of bed or move without help or supervision are just some ways to prevent Orange County, California nursing home falls.
Negligent nursing care that results in fall injuries or other serious injury can be grounds for an Anaheim nursing home neglect lawsuit.
Nursing home fined after patient dies from fall, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Falls in Nursing Homes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
