Pain and Suffering: A Different Perspective through the Eyes of a Quadriplegic

Elderly residents who often fall victim to nursing home abuse and neglect are the ones who are the most vulnerable due to serious medical conditions. While no abuse is tolerated by the nursing abuse and neglect attorneys at Malman Law, a resident who has absolutely no way to understand that he or she is being wronged is by far the most unacceptable form of abuse. If your loved one suffered a serious injury or wrongful death due to previous abuse and neglect without the ability to defend and or be aware of their conditions, our attorneys urge you to take action and contact an Illinois nursing home abuse attorney immediately.

The story—

Now, imagine if you did not have the ability to stand, enjoy a walk, dance at a wedding or feel the ground beneath your bare feet. Imagine having to always have to be seated in a bed or a wheelchair, only to be bathed with assistance—this is what it is like to be a quadriplegic[1]. Many quadriplegics’ are forced to turn to assisted living facilities because they are not capable to care for themselves on a daily basis and always need to be constantly monitored. Now imagine if you turned to a facility to care for your everyday needs and put trust in their staff to tell you when you were injured because a quadriplegic cannot feel pain. That after years of living in a home and always being cared for properly, you changed homes and suddenly everything turned around on you. A year in, a new staff member checked on you, and asked if you were aware of the severe pressure ulcers beneath your legs, and before this, not one other staff member informed you of your injuries. Now, not only did you learn about the ulcers, but learned that they were stage IV pressure ulcers. You also learned that your wounds were infected with MRSA, a life threatening infection.  You suddenly feel violated, mistreated, abused and alone. What do you from here, and who do you turn to? This is when a nursing home abuse attorney can step in to fight for the rights that you are entitled to as a nursing home resident.

This is the story of the thousands who suffer from serious conditions that prevent them from defending themselves because of their medical state. Such negligence causes emotional distress, feelings of being violated, surgeries and additional treatments, thus costing additional monetary expenses and financial depletion.

Such Cases Should Never Occur

No matter the state that a resident is in, either they or their family must be informed of their medical conditions. Furthermore, to begin with, a resident should never have pressure ulcers form. They are considered by medical experts to be a “never event,” meaning that they are entirely preventable. To prevent ulcers from occurring, a resident should always be turned routinely and should also be given an individual care plan that involves a nutrition plan that pertains to them.  A quadriplegic is a person who is at risk for sores because of the duration of time that their skin is in contact with material. However, just because they are at risk does not give any acceptable reason for a persons’ body to go through such suffrage. It should be all more the reason for staff to be entirely observant and attentive to a resident.

The attorneys at Malman Law are committed to fighting for the rights of victims of abuse and neglect at nursing homes. We understand the trust that persons and their families put into the hands of the staff at nursing homes. If you or your loved one were neglected and thus suffered serious injuries, do not hesitate to contact a nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible. Malman Law is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Call our office today to receive a free consultation and reliable legal advice.

[1] A person who is paralyzed from the neck down.