Nursing Home AbuseSettlement Amounts

Bedridden resident with dementia developed multiple Stage 4 pressure ulcers on the sacrum and heels. Facility had no documented repositioning for several weeks. Resident developed sepsis and died after 6 weeks of hospitalization. Prior CMS citations for understaffing and pressure ulcer prevention failures. Settlement included punitive damages component.Florida

Family installed a hidden camera after noticing unexplained bruising. Video captured a CNA striking a dementia patient multiple times during care. Facility had previously received internal complaints about the same employee that were not investigated. Punitive damages were a substantial component of the recovery.Texas

Diabetic resident developed a Stage 4 pressure ulcer on the heel that progressed to osteomyelitis (bone infection) requiring partial foot amputation. Turning schedule records were found to be falsified — entries were made for repositioning that video evidence showed did not occur.Pennsylvania

Resident was assessed as high fall risk on admission. No fall-prevention protocol was implemented. Resident was found on the floor after an unobserved fall and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Facility had insufficient staffing on the night in question. Resident required permanent memory care placement.California

Resident with swallowing difficulties required supervised feeding assistance at every meal. Staffing records showed the resident was routinely left to attempt eating alone. Resident lost 28 pounds over 3 months and died of complications related to severe malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia.New York

Resident survived but required 14 months of hospitalization and multiple surgeries for extensive Stage 4 wounds on the sacrum and both heels. Medical expenses alone exceeded $400,000. Facility had received 3 prior citations for pressure ulcer prevention failures in the preceding 2 years.Ohio

Administrator developed a personal relationship with a cognitively impaired resident and was named in a revised power of attorney. Over 18 months, the administrator transferred approximately $310,000 from the resident's accounts. Criminal charges were also filed.Illinois

Resident was found with a documented fall. Staff failed to have the resident evaluated by a physician for 3 days. An X-ray then revealed a displaced hip fracture that required surgical repair. The delay in diagnosis resulted in more complex surgery, a longer recovery, and permanent mobility limitations.Georgia

Resident developed a Stage 3 sacral wound that became infected and led to sepsis requiring 6 weeks of hospitalization including 10 days in the ICU. Nursing home medical records contained no turning schedule documentation for the 3 weeks prior to wound discovery.Illinois

Resident required a blood thinner medication on a precise schedule. Staff failed to document administration on multiple occasions. Resident subsequently suffered a stroke. Medical records revealed multiple prior medication documentation failures that had not been addressed by management.Arizona