Lake County Pays Family $1 Million for Nursing Home Negligence
Lake County has finalized its $1 million settlement to the family of an 83-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who was the victim of nursing home negligence. Helen Menneke, 83, died in 2005 while living at the Winchester House nursing home in Libertyville.
Menneke, who was suffering from dementia, was admitted to the Illinois nursing home in January 2004. She was already having problems walking steadily at this time.
Her family’s nursing home negligence lawyer contends that not only did the home fail to conduct a full fall assessment on Menneke, but also, no steps were taken during the first eight months of her stay to prevent fall accidents even though the 83-year-old fell six times.
It wasn’t until September 2004 that nurses installed bed alarms to let them know when Menneke was not in her bed. Despite stricter precautions, however, Menneke fell another two times, fracturing her elbow and arm and sustaining a brain injury.
Fall Accidents
Fall accidents are the number one cause of injuries that can land seniors (over age 65) in the emergency room. The older a person becomes, the greater their chances are of sustaining a serious injury during a fall accident.
• 70% of accidental deaths involving victims 75 years of age and older are caused by fall accidents.
• 90% of hip fractures occur during falls.
• Every year, 60% of residents in nursing homes are involved in fall accidents.
Winchester House has now put in place stricter polices for monitoring nursing home residents who are prone to fall accidents. While Lake County reached a settlement agreement with Menneke's family a few months ago, the payments were not finalized until last week.
If your loved one got hurt in a fall accident at a nursing home because he or she was being neglected by nurses or other staff workers, you can take steps to hold the nursing home and its employees liable.
County pays family $1M in negligence case, Lake County News-Sun, November 7, 2008
$1 million settlement in Libertyville nursing home case, Daily Herald, November 6, 2008
Falls in the Elderly, American Family Physician
Related Web Resources:
What Causes Falls in the Elderly?, AAFP.org
Please contact Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Steven J. Malman and ask for your free case evaluation today.
