The Minnesota Department of Health has substantiated the occurrence of neglect at the Elders Home nursing home in New York Mills, Minnesota. The state investigation found that the “facility staff failed to complete a thorough assessment for the resident’s continued ability to safety use bilateral side rails following falls from bed, the addition of an air mattress overlay, and the resident’s decrease in functional abilities. The resident’s neck became entrapped between the side rail and mattress and the resident sustained an injury as a result of the entrapment.” [Report no. H5562008]
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the resident, Alice Grieger, had worked as a nurse at the nursing home for much of the 1980s. She died there on Aug. 24, 2013.
According to the newspaper report, the nursing home’s administrator, Cal Anderson, said the home appealed the findings because “we felt that the death was not attributable” to the resident being trapped by the rail. The state denied the appeal, he said.
Within a week of the death, the home responded with several changes, the report said. Among them: All bed rails in the home were scrutinized, and those not being used by residents were removed. Inspections of the gap between mattresses and rails were also conducted, including situations where mattress layers were added.
To learn more, please check out our recent 9-part series of blogs discussing The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes:
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes–An Overview: Part 1 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes–Rates of Incidence: Part 2 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes–Types of Bed Rails: Part 3 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes—Anatomy of Entrapment Part 4 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes–Guiding Principles Regarding the Safe use of Bed Rails: Part 5 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes–Policy Considerations Part 6 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes–Risk Intervention: Part 7 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes– Bed Rail Safety Guidelines: Part 8 of 9
- The Dangers of Resident Bed Rails in Nursing Homes—Conclusion: Part 9 of 9
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care, including the improper use of side rails. If you believe your loved one has been harmed because a nursing home and its employees cut corners, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no cost, no-obligation consultation.
