Does Your Nursing Home Properly Inspect And Maintain Its Equipment?
In a story from today's Los Angeles Times, it is reported that a nursing home has been fined the maximum amount allowable by California law for a death attributed to the facility's failure to adequately maintain its equipment.
The resident, who was 60-years-old, had a heart condition, diabetes and a muscle wasting disease and was confined to a wheelchair. Because of her condition, the resident needed help getting up and into bed. The staff of the nursing home, Eskaton Care Center Manzanita, in Northern California, was using a type of mechanical lift to assist the resident from her wheelchair into her bed. The sling used to transfer the resident broke and she fell, hitting her head on a nearby door. She was taken to the hospital where it was discovered she suffered bleeding in her brain, brain damage and a short time later, a stroke. Tragically, the resident died four days after she was injured at the facility. The consequence to the company who runs the facility -- a $100,000.00 fine. Don't feel too bad for the company, though; the company, Eskaton, operates 35 properties and programs serving 14,000 people annually, including about 3,000 residents.
Make sure if you or a loved one is a resident of a nursing home or assisted living facility, the staff is not only properly trained in the correct use of equipment, but that the equipment is subject to regular and rigorous inspection. As this tragic incident demonstrates: A faulty piece of equipment is just as dangerous as unskilled staff.
