Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Elderly nursing home residents are at increased risk of certain injuries due to age-related factors, as well as medical conditions that are common among older adults. In addition to dealing with reduced bone health and fall-related fracture risks, as well as risks for injuries like bed sores among older adults with mobility issues, choking deaths have become a significant problem in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Southern California. No choking death should ever occur, and these deaths are preventable when nursing homes maintain safety procedures and ensure that every resident receives the level of care they need based on their individual condition. However, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are often negligent, and residents suffer serious and deadly injuries that include choking deaths.
According to a recent report in the Los Angeles Times, a particular Mission Hills nursing home was cited for two separate resident choking deaths in a span of fewer than three months. What should you know about the risks at this particular facility, and how does the facility’s negligence speak to the larger issue of choking deaths in nursing homes and assisted living facilities? Our Los Angeles County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more.
Choking Risks in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Choking deaths happen more often among older adults (and very young children) than in people of any other age. As adults get older, they have a reduced amount of saliva, which can make it difficult to swallow. In addition, certain health conditions can make eating more complicated.
Nursing homes have a duty to understand these risks and to take preventive measures so that a choking death does not occur. As the Mission Hills deaths underscore, when a facility fails to adhere to safety measures to prevent choking, residents can die from choking incidents.
Details of the Mission Hills Nursing Home Deaths
What happened at the Mission Hills nursing home that led to two choking deaths at the facility? According to the Los Angeles Times report, both choking deaths resulted from negligence and safety violations that the California Department of Public Health determined to be “a substantial factor” in the two choking deaths.
One of the residents, as a result of negligence, fell and suffered a series of fractures that included broken bones in her face. Another resident stopped breathing while she was eating, and the facility knew that “she was known to be at risk for choking or inhaling food.” Despite the known risks, there was no staff member monitoring the resident when she choked and died while eating mashed potatoes.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the facility received two separate “AA” citations, which are citations issued when a facility’s acts or omissions are a “substantial factor in the death of a resident.”
Contact a Nursing Home Neglect Attorney in Los Angeles County Today
Choking deaths are devastating, and they should never happen. To be sure, these deaths in nursing homes are preventable with proper care and resident supervision. If you learned that a loved one died as a result of a choking incident, it is critical to seek legal advice. Choking deaths result from negligence, and an experienced Los Angeles County nursing home neglect attorney can help you to hold the facility accountable. Contact the Walton Law Firm today for more information about how we can assist you and your family with a choking death claim against a nursing home in Southern California.
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