Medical Malpractice In Elderly People

Medicine in the United States is at the forefront of the world. However, on certain occasions, a medical or health system error can cause disastrous consequences for the health of the affected person. If it is already difficult for this to happen when dealing with people of advanced age the factors multiply.

The damage may be greater than that caused to a younger patient since, given the person's fragility, that person needs more help. It is key in these situations to provide the greatest possible support to alleviate the damage caused by medical negligence.

We all have grandfathers and grandmothers or beloved elderly people to whom we do not want anything bad to happen. Because of their fragility, we take great care of them. Injury Rely helps you care for your elderly if, by misfortune, they fall victim to medical malpractice. We have a vast network of trusted medical professionals who will provide you with the help you need at the time of an accident, fall, or medical error that may occur to the beloved elderly person you love. 

A Real Case of Medical Negligence

Evidence of medical negligence towards seniors is seen daily in Florida. One of the most relevant cases was that of a 92-year-old person who was admitted to a social health center in Orlando, and the case ended with his death.

The reason is that though she has been classified as very dependent and unable to take care of herself (among other limitations), the healthcare staff left her standing alone next to her bed. For this reason, she fell onto the ground, incurring a collapsed skull leading to a traumatic brain injury, causing her death.

This real case is a serious example of the consequences that a medical error can have. However, and fortunately, on many other occasions, death does not occur, but a notable worsening of health does occur.

Important Factors in Elderly Medical Negligence

No one should suffer the consequences of a medical error, but older people are among the most vulnerable victims for several reasons. 

Patients are often unable to communicate their concerns: the potential for developing dementia and memory loss increases as humans age. Older people may not have the ability to advocate for themselves regarding concerns about a medical error or the pain they experience as a result. Additionally, a different treating physician may not be able to detect an incident of medical malpractice because the patient may not be able to communicate the symptoms of it.

Recovery is an uphill battle with age: When an elderly patient suffers bodily injury, the recovery process can be significant and extensive. Many victims deteriorate mentally and physically in a hospital or rehabilitation center, even if they recover from the actual ailment that led to their admission.

Medical Malpractice in Nursing Homes

Geriatrics can be defined as a medical specialty dedicated to the study of the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of diseases in the elderly.

The uniqueness of patients in this specialty, fundamentally due to the intrinsic fragility of human aging, means that extreme precautions must be taken in any condition, no matter how banal it may seem at first. Otherwise, a prior condition without importance can have serious consequences.

The scenario is certainly not the most promising since the aging population is compounded by a lack of geriatric specialists. This results in a dangerous scenario in which medical negligence in this area is foreseeable.

Regardless of the medical negligence that may occur similar to other areas, it is true that in geriatrics, there is a specific area that does not occur in the case of other patients, such as cases that take place in nursing homes, fundamentally for the following reasons:

Lack of Postural Changes

Many of the patients admitted to a nursing home suffer prolonged periods of immobilization, which poses a high risk of suffering from pressure ulcers. Therefore, if the essential postural changes are not adopted every three/four hours, the dreaded bedsores may appear.

Non-referral to Hospital Centers

We refer to the cases in which symptoms or alterations are evident in the patient and in which, due to inadequate assessment or to avoid the inconvenience inherent to a transfer, it is not agreed to refer the patient to a hospital emergency service.

Lack of Surveillance (Normally Due to Staff Shortages)

As a consequence of the lack of specialists who can carry out adequate control of all admitted patients.

Falls 

They occur due to not adopting the appropriate measures for patient mobilization or when measures such as barriers in the beds are not adopted if they are necessary, depending on the patient's condition.

Incorrect Regulation of Medication

Medication errors are either due to the wrong drug or due to the administration of incorrect doses.

Abuse

Although it is not medical negligence in itself, but rather a crime of humiliation or injury (CP), depending on the case, there are a relevant number of complaints of mistreatment of inmates in nursing homes.

Final words

Medical malpractice cases seriously affect our elderly. Given their fragility, it is more difficult for them to recover compared to a younger person, and this is aggravated given that they may be victims of poor geriatric care. In these cases, it is a good thing to have a reputable doctor whom you can trust to avoid these types of situations.

If you don't know one, we can provide one for you. Injury Rely is a trusted referral service that connects personal injury victims with top medical professionals throughout the US. We have a large network of highly respected medical professionals ready to help you. If you want more information, you can consult our blog. We will connect you with the right medical service providers efficiently and effectively.