Autopsy Reveals Injury That Contributed to Ohio Nursing Home Resident's Death
The family of Gladys Feran was shocked to discover that their loved one had suffered 17 falls in 16 months - and they didn't know about any of them.
According to John Flynn, Gladys Feran's son, "We feel betrayed. Why wouldn't they ask (our) family to meet with her and her caretakers to help us understand what we could do to prevent the falls?" Larchwood Village Retirement Community, an Ohio nursing home, was cited in 2008 for failing to document a fall in which Feran suffered a broken hip and collar bone. She had been pushing a wheelchair through a door when she fell. It has been revealed that this wasn't the first time she had fallen while pushing another resident in a wheelchair.
Reportedly, Feran fell a few months earlier while pushing a wheelchair. Her knees buckled and she was caught mid-fall by facility staff. Feran fell again in April 2009 when she fell while trying to turn off her television. Reportedly, a nurse examined her, called her daughter, and put Feran on the couch. The family denies the call, stating, "We didn't even know she fell." After five days of constant pain and increasing confusion, Feran was taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis. Two weeks later, she died from a lung infection. The coroner ruled that the broken pelvis contributed to her death.
According to John Flynn, "If the family didn't request an autopsy, we'd probably never know that mom had a broken pelvis."
Nursing homes are required by federal law to contact a designated family member if a resident falls or is injured. If the allegations in this lawsuit are rue, then this nursing home has clearly violated the law and their duty to the resident and her family.
I believe that far too many nursing homes forget that they exist to serve our elderly population. Nursing home owners and administrators go to seminars and learn how to chart so that the nursing home doesn't look bad. These same seminars teach them how to chart every negative event about a family member, the very people trusting them with their loved one.
If nursing homes put more effort into taking care of residents rather than covering up with their failures, maybe there would be fewer lawsuits.
