As the U.S. population ages and St. Louis nursing home admissions increase, many St. Louis families will be faced with evaluating the quality of care nursing homes are providing their loved ones. In our previous post, we noted an Arkansas case of nursing home neglect in which a woman died and the jury awarded her family $5.2 million. The background on that case is instructive for St. Louis families with relatives in nursing homes.

Admitted to the nursing home after a stroke, the 76-year-old woman complained of severe pain during two staff shifts before a physician was contacted. His faxed ER transfer order was received by the nursing director as she was leaving and faxed to the patient wing where it went unnoticed. The woman screamed in pain throughout the afternoon and was found dead that night. The physician’s order was not discovered until the next morning.

The nursing home did not admit its mistake until after the trial began and has made full use of Arkansas law to minimize its financial liability. The attorney representing the woman’s family expects an appeal and, assuming that the jury award is upheld, a long and arduous collection process.

Cases of St. Louis nursing home neglect and nursing home malpractice can be difficult to prove and litigate. Nursing homes have considerable legal resources with which to fight negligence and abuse allegations. The expert St. Louis personal injury attorneys  at Hoffman & Gelfman are experienced at representing and fighting for the rights of nursing home neglect victims and their families.