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Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Representing Seniors With Broken Bones
Strong advocacy for California nursing home residents who suffer fractures
The bones of seniors are more brittle than those of the younger population. When residents of Los Angeles nursing homes fall, they are likely to break their hips, legs, arms, or other body parts. The healing process for seniors is often much longer than for younger people. The healing process is also more complicated because many nursing home residents already have other serious health issues. Many seniors whose bones break like with chronic pain. Many breaks never fully heal.
Nursing homes can and should take numerous steps to prevent falls and other causes of broken bones, such as physical abuse, which are preventable if the nursing homes have safety policies in place. At Garcia & Artigliere, our California elder abuse lawyers have been demanding compensation for injuries to seniors since 1993. Our team is skilled at showing how nursing abuse or neglect cause a resident’s fractures, how the fractures should have been prevented, and the physical and emotional consequences of living with fractures.
Our Los Angeles nursing home broken bone attorneys have helped thousands of seniors obtain strong recoveries. As an example, founding partner Stephen M. Garcia helped a nursing home resident who suffered a broken hip and other injuries obtain $1.3 million.
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How can we help?
- How often do seniors suffer broken bones?
- What are the risk factors for broken bones?
- What types of broken bones do nursing home residents suffer?
- How are fractures treated in Los Angeles?
- What are the possible complications of a broken bone?
- How do you help show that a Los Angeles nursing home is liable for a broken bone?
- What is the value of my California nursing home broken bone claim?
- Do you have a nursing home abuse lawyer near me?
How often do seniors suffer broken bones?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 36 million seniors fall each other resulting in 32,000 deaths. About 3 million seniors seek emergency room healthcare every year. 20 percent of falls cause a fracture, head injury, or another type of serious injury. For seniors, the most common type of broken bone is a broken hip. More than 300,000 seniors need to be hospitalized yearly for a fractured hip and 95 percent of those fractures are caused by falls. About 75 percent of the people who break their hips are female.
What are the risk factors for broken bones?
Seniors in Los Angeles nursing homes are more likely to break their bones for the following reasons:
- Osteoporosis. The Cleveland Clinic states that osteoporosis increases the risk of broken bones because the disease weakens a person’s bones. The elderly who have osteoporosis have less bone mass and strength which makes their bones more fragile. Some of the bones that might be susceptible to breaks due to osteoporosis are the hips, spine, and wrist.
- Mobility difficulties. Many Los Angeles nursing home residents already have balance and coordination problems. For these reasons; many seniors use wheelchairs, canes, and walkers.
- Muscle weakness. Weak muscles in the leg increase the risk of instability and balance difficulties which increases the possibility of a fall.
- Medications. Certain drugs such as sedatives can cause dizziness and affect an elderly person’s balance. Medication dangers heighten the first few days after use if the medication is new or different or the dosage is different.
- Nursing home hazards. Los Angeles nursing homes should regularly inspect their premises for slippery or wet floors, debris on the floors, loose rugs, beads that are too high, torn carpets, bad lighting, and unstable stairs or railings.
Other risk factors for falls according to the National Institutes of Health are:
- Heart disease, diabetes, and other balance disorders
- Bad eyesight, reflexes, and hearing
- Bowel and bladder disorders, such as incontinence that pressures a resident to rush to the bathroom
- Cognitive impairments
- Heel and foot problems
What types of fractures do nursing home residents suffer?
There are 206 bones in the human body. When any bone breaks, the pain can be unbearable until surgery or other procedures are used. Each bone can break in different excruciating ways. Los Angeles nursing homes need to be prepared to respond to all types of fractures.
Bones breaks are classified as open or compound fractures, displaced fractures, stress fractures, and traumatic fractures. Displaced fractures are also called compression fractures. Stress fractures are also called hairline fractures.
One of the problems with any type of injury such as a broken bone – when the victim is a senior resident of a nursing home – is that the bone break may not always be obvious. Residents with cognitive impairments may not be able to communicate that they have a broken bone and how the break occurred. Residents may not be able to explain that the treatments aren’t working.
How are fractures treated in Los Angeles?
Bone breaks are treated based on the location of the break, the types of breaks, how severe the break is, and other factors. Common treatments for fractures include:
- Immobilizing the fractured bone with a cast or a splint
- A closed reduction to help realign the bones
- Arthroplasty – the insertion of an artificial joint – such as for a knee, shoulder, or elbow
- Bone grafts
Broken burn surgeries may involve plates, rods, wires, screws, braces, pins, and brackets. Most seniors who break a bone need physical therapy and occupational therapy to help restore bodily function.
Seniors need much more time than when they were kids to heal their broken bones. Physicians such as orthopedists are likely to prescribe medications to help control the pain.
What are the possible complications of a broken bone?
Los Angeles nursing home residents who break a bone may develop one or more of the following complications:
- Acute compartment syndrome (ACS). ACS happens when blood cannot reach tissue due to pressure build-ups in the muscles. ACS can cause nerve damage and permanent muscle damage.
- Malunion and nonunion. These conditions occur when the broken bones fail to line up correctly or when the bones don’t grow back fully or at all.
- Sepsis and infections
- Damage to ligaments, muscles, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels around the bone
How do you help show that a Los Angeles nursing home is liable for a broken bone?
At Garcia & Artigliere, our Los Angeles nursing home broken bone lawyers work aggressively to show that nursing could have prevented the resident from suffering a broken bone. Nursing homes should:
- Conduct fall assessments to determine the risks of a fall and to remove or minimize those risks
- Implement policies such as background checks and reporting systems to stop the physical abuse of any resident
- Review how the risks of falls can be minimized
- Have policies and procedures in place so any senior who suffers a broken bone receives prompt medical care
- Review each patient's medications to determine if any medication increases the risk of a fall
- Question whether more staff is required
- Prepare an individualized care plan for each resident
Physical restraints should never be used unless there is a clear-cut medical reason. The floors should be dry. Handrails, bed rails, and all parts of the nursing home facility should be examined for possible risks.
The staff of the nursing home should help seniors who need help standing, sitting, and going to the bathroom. Exercise programs can help with balance issues.
What is the value of my California nursing home broken bone claim?
Our nursing home neglect lawyers in Los Angeles work with physicians who can diagnose broken bones, the treatments, the complications, and the pain and suffering of the residents.
Our attorneys seek compensation for the resident’s:
- Medical expenses
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of quality of life
- Inability to use any body part
- Financial damages
If the fracture was due to abuse, we often seek punitive damages to punish the nursing home and help protect other seniors in the nursing home.
Our Los Angeles nursing home lawyers also file wrongful death claims if a parent or other close relative died due to broken bone injuries.
Do you have a nursing home abuse lawyer near me?
Garcia & Artigliere fights for nursing home residents who have sustained broken bones. We’ll explain the claims process and fight to hold the nursing home accountable.
Speak with our California nursing home lawyers today if your loved one broke a bone
Nursing homes should expect that the elderly might fall. There are numerous safety measures they can take to prevent falls. The nursing homes should also expect that some seniors may be physically abused and that the abuse could cause a fracture. There are safety protocols to stop abuse too such as conducting background checks.
At Garcia & Artigliere, our Los Angeles nursing home broken bone lawyers have obtained $3 billion for our clients since 1993. Call us or contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation. We maintain additional offices in Long Beach, Louisville, New Orleans and Phoenix. We represent clients across the United States. We do not get paid – unless your claim is successful.
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