West Virginia Nursing Home Facing Lawsuit over Resident’s Death
A nursing home in Logan, West Virginia is now facing a lawsuit for wrongful death filed on behalf of a deceased former resident. The nursing home has been accused of neglectfully allowing the resident to become malnourished before ultimately passing away. Learn more below, and contact a dedicated West Virginia nursing home abuse attorney if you believe your loved one has been the victim of abuse.
Neglect leads to fatal injuries, suit claims
Lilian Messer, the deceased woman, was admitted to Logan Center at Three Mile Curve on April 12, 2018. Logan Center is operated by Genesis Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest providers of post-acute care which operates over 400 short- and long-term-care facilities in 29 states. Messer needed rehabilitation and help with day-to-day care and grooming.
The lawsuit, which was filed by the administrator of Messer’s estate, claims that Messer did not receive a safe place to live when she became a resident. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, Messer became injured, developed sepsis, became dehydrated, and suffered from protein malnutrition before she ultimately passed away. The lawsuit is seeking money damages for negligence, reckless misconduct, and wrongful death against Logan Center and Genesis Healthcare.
Malnutrition not uncommon in West Virginia nursing homes
The tragic story of Messer’s passing is, sadly, not uncommon. Residents of long-term care facilities often become the victims of neglect or even abuse when these facilities fail to provide sufficient care and attention to all residents. Malnutrition is particularly common in these facilities. Nursing home residents often have unique nutritional needs due to disease or disability, or they may need additional help eating their meals if they have difficulty holding a utensil due to tremors or trouble chewing or swallowing their food. When nursing homes are short-staffed to save money, they may not be able to provide this attention to each resident who needs it. In some cases, nursing homes resort to providing all-liquid diets and supplements as a quick fix for residents who can’t feed themselves without help. These liquid meals are not always nutritionally sufficient to meet the residents’ needs, or they are so unappealing to eat that residents begin to skip meals. In cases where residents are healing from an injury or illness or suffering from a disease with neurological effects, failing to consume a balanced and complete diet can cause serious health setbacks or cause a resident to become so weak and emaciated that they suffer falls. Nursing home staff must monitor residents’ food intake, and when they fail to do so or fail to observe signs of malnutrition, they can be held responsible for resulting illness, injury, or death.
Call the Martinsburg Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers
If you or a loved one has suffered abuse or neglect at a West Virginia nursing home, find out if you have a right to seek damages for that abuse by contacting the knowledgeable, effective, and dedicated Martinsburg nursing home abuse lawyers at Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson for a free consultation on your case at 304-263-0900 or (304) LAWYERS.