When a nursing home in New Mexico is negligent and ends up hurting or killing a patient as a result, the facility may be held financially responsible for the injuries or death. One woman in another state recently claimed that a nursing home was neglectful in its care of a woman whom she is legally representing. The representative of the patient, who ended up with an infection and had to undergo surgery, has filed a nursing home neglect claim against the facility on the patient’s behalf.
The woman was a resident at the facility for a couple of weeks. According to the suit, during this period, the facility knew that the woman had issues with constipation as well as irritable bowel syndrome. One day, she reportedly had symptoms of discomfort and pain in her abdominal area.
The next day, the woman had bowel infection symptoms. Days later, she had back and abdominal pain along with cramps, and she also had pain in the buttocks area as well as loose stool. A couple of days thereafter, she had consistent pain in her uterus and rectum. After having vaginal bleeding, she was placed in the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her as having acute renal failure, rectovaginal fistula, which requires surgery, sepsis, and anemia, along with dehydration. Also, the woman had to undergo an end-loop colostomy and fecal disimpaction as a result of her physical condition.
According to the filed nursing home neglect suit, the medical professionals in charge of the patient’s care caused the patient to incur medical expenses and suffer disability and disfigurement. The representative of the patient is thus seeking damages totaling over $200,000. A monetary award in a successfully fought lawsuit in New Mexico may not be able to undo the harm caused by a negligent nursing home, but it can help to address the pain and suffering caused by the facility’s carelessness.
Source: cookcountyrecord.com, “Elderly woman sues over allegedly neglectful nursing home care“, Dan Harkins, July 28, 2015
