Older adults and their families generally decide to make the move to nursing homes when someone needs significant day-to-day support. Even those who have made plans to age in place or who have family members nearby may require the care of professionals available for their support on a 24/7 basis.
Nursing homes often have a variety of different medical professionals on staff who help provide daily care for residents ranging from the administration of medications to assistance with personal hygiene. Unfortunately, nursing homes cannot always fully meet the needs of their residents.
They may need to arrange to transfer their residents to a hospital. The law in New Jersey not only empowers facilities to do so but may require such actions in certain scenarios. The failure to transfer older adults to the right care facility can be a potentially deadly source of nursing home neglect.
When is a transfer potentially necessary for the protection of vulnerable nursing home residents?
When there are new symptoms
Nursing homes generally have professionals on hand who can follow the treatment plans set by physicians for existing conditions. Nurses and other licensed professionals can administer medications and help patients to complete rehabilitation programs, such as physical therapy exercises. However, nursing homes typically do not have physicians on staff regularly and therefore cannot diagnose a patient presenting new symptoms.
When a patient has concerning and notable new symptoms, a nursing home may need to arrange for the transfer of the patient to a hospital for diagnosis. After an accurate diagnosis, it is then possible for the nursing home professionals to follow the treatment plan created by the diagnosing physician.
When a patient’s condition deteriorates
Sometimes, existing conditions can worsen abruptly. Someone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may experience a rapid drop in blood oxygen levels and lung function. Someone dealing with a chronic infection may present worsening symptoms. Existing medical recommendations may no longer control their condition. Additional medical testing and new treatment recommendations may be necessary to ensure the resident’s safety and overall quality of life.
Unfortunately, nursing home staff members sometimes ignore the self-reported symptoms of residents. They may also fail to initiate a transfer in scenarios where the nursing home might be to blame for the infection or injury that the resident has. When family members learn that a loved one went without proper care and suffered unnecessarily as a result, they may decide they want to take legal action.
Pursuing a nursing home negligence lawsuit is a reasonable reaction to scenarios wherein hospital treatment may have made a difference for a nursing home resident who suffered harm as a result of a failure or delay in transfer. Nursing home neglect comes in many different forms, including the failure to obtain adequate medical care for someone with debilitating, painful or high-risk injuries or illnesses.