When a New York family makes the decision to seek residential care for a loved one, either for a short-term stay or a permanent residence, the choice is never an easy one to make. Even when all parties agree that a nursing home is the best possible option, finding the right facility is always a daunting task. For one family, an apparent act of nursing negligence has contributed to the death of their loved one, and it has made their worst fears concerning residential care come true.
The patient who died was a retired dental assistant and was 72 years of age. She was sent to a Long Island nursing home for what was intended to be a six-week stay for temporary rehabilitation from pneumonia. She was on a ventilator during her time at the nursing home, and staff at the facility were tasked with monitoring her condition.
Investigators believe that, on the day of the woman's death death, the ventilator became dislodged. An alarm was triggered, which should have notified staff that there was a problem and led them to reconnect the device and restore proper airflow to the patient. However, it is alleged that staff simply ignored the alarm for two hours. The woman died, and the family was told that she suffered a heart attack that led to her death.
A whistleblower contacted the New York Attorney General and claimed that nursing negligence was the ultimate cause of the woman's death. The resulting investigation led to the arrest of nine individuals connected to the incident, including one administrator who is accused of conducting a cover-up in relation to the death. The family may find some measure of closure in the eventual outcome of the criminal cases against those individuals, but they also retain the right to sue for wrongful death.
Source: CBS New York, 9 Arrested In L.I. Nursing Home Probe Following Patient's Death, No author, Feb. 11, 2014
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