Los Angeles Nursing Home Hip Fracture Lawyer

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Southern California must take steps to ensure that their facilities are safe for the seniors who reside there, and they must provide particular levels of care to prevent injuries caused by falls from beds, slips and falls, and other accidents. Yet much too often, skilled nursing facilities in California are understaffed. As a result, seniors in those facilities do not receive sufficient attention and can sustain severe fracture injuries in falls and related accidents. When a nursing home resident suffers a hip fracture, it may be possible to file a nursing home neglect lawsuit against the facility. An experienced Los Angeles nursing home hip fracture lawyer at our firm can begin working with you today on your case.

Hip fractures are extremely serious injuries, and as the Mayo Clinic explains, these particular types of broken bones can have “complications that can be life-threatening.” The risk of suffering a hip fracture rises as a person ages because bones become weaker, and older adults tend to be on more medications or to have vision and balance problems that can increase the likelihood of a fall. Nearly all hip fracture injuries require medical intervention, including surgery and the possibility of a hip replacement.

For many seniors who are living more independently at the time of an accident that results in a hip fracture, such as elderly residents of assisted-living facilities or residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), a hip fracture results in a drastic loss of mobility and independence. Indeed, many seniors who were living at home or relatively independently prior to a hip fracture end up requiring nursing home care.

How should a senior or a staff member at a nursing home or assisted living facility recognize the signs of a hip fracture? The Mayo Clinic identifies the following symptoms:

• Resident’s inability to get up after a fall
• Resident’s inability to walk
• Resident reporting severe pain in the hip or groin area
• Resident’s inability to place weight on the leg on the side of the body with the hip fracture
• Bruising and/or swelling around the senior’s hip
• Resident’s leg turning outward on the side of the body with the hip fracture.

Hip fractures in nursing homes and assisted living facilities nearly always result from the facility’s negligence. Common causes of hip fractures at skilled nursing facilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Insufficient care for a senior getting into or out of bed
• Slipping hazards on the floors
• Tripping hazards, such as torn carpeting, damaged flooring, or objects in pathways
• Insufficient or burned-out lighting
• Lack of handrails in stairways and other areas, such as in bathrooms
• Nutritional problems
• Chronic medical conditions, including those that may be undiagnosed or improperly treated; and
• Physical inactivity.

The Mayo Clinic underscores that hip fractures can have life-threatening complications such as blood clots, bed sores, pneumonia, and loss of muscle mass. You may be able to hold the nursing home accountable for the initial hip fracture and for all resulting harms that follow.

If you need assistance filing a nursing home negligence claim after a hip fracture, our Los Angeles nursing home hip fracture attorneys can help. Contact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group today.