Brookdale Senior Communities Sued by Eadie Hill Trial Lawyers

The family of Beatrice Jewel have hired Eadie Hill Trial Lawyers to represent the deceased and her estate in a wrongful death lawsuit naming Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., Brookdale Senior Communities, Inc., and Brookdale Marysville as the defendants.

The lawsuit is the result of the death of Beatrice Jewel, a resident at Brookdale Marysville since 2014. She had Parkinson’s syndrome and was categorized as being high risk for falls. She first fell in 2014 and would be allowed to fall 30 times before her death on October 14, 2017.

Beatrice Jewel fell out of her bed on August 29, 2017. Her physician had previously ordered bolsters for her bed to prevent her from falling.  Brookdale did not use or even order the bolsters per her physician’s orders.

After her fall from her bed, she was in severe pain. The staff at Brookdale did not perform or order any x-rays to determine the extent of her injuries.

On September 7, 2017, Beatrice was diagnosed with a broken hip. She never recovered from the injury which required surgery. She became withdrawn, had lower energy, and she passed away on October 14, 2017.

You can read the full complaint here.

Negligence and Breach of Contract

When a resident arrives at a nursing home facility it is under the assumption that they require care that is more than what they could typically receive at home. Nursing homes provide a service by caring for people who could no longer care for themselves.

This understanding or contract requires the nursing home to provide these services and properly care for residents. Beatrice Jewell was denied these services and it ultimately led to her death.

When residents fall, nursing homes have protocol that requires reporting and follow up care for the victim. When they fail to follow through it puts the victim at risk for their injuries to go untreated and cause more damage, even death.

Brookdale was negligent in several aspects of this unfortunate situation. They failed to properly assess Beatrice Jewell’s risk for falling. Nursing home staff should be well aware that the elderly are more prone to falling. There are assessments and tests that can be used to help create a proactive plan to prevent them from falling.

One huge indicator that a resident may be at risk for falling are illnesses that affect their motor skills. Beatrice Jewell had Parkinson’s Syndrome and was therefore high risk for falling. Further, they ignored a physician’s orders warning them that this victim was a high risk resident. The nursing home should have known this and by not acting accordingly breached their contract with the victim.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,800 older adults living in nursing homes die each year from injuries related to falls, such as broken bones and head trauma.

When a nursing home resident falls, the result can include traumatic injuries, disability, functional decline, and reduced quality of life.  What’s worse, the resident may now have a much more severe fear of falling that can cause depression, additional functional decline, a sense of helplessness, or isolation.

What’s the Purpose of a Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

The family has instituted suit against Brookdale and the parent company, for wrongful death. A wrongful death lawsuit in Ohio is brought on behalf of the surviving family members. The family hopes that this lawsuit will bring awareness to mistreatment at nursing homes and will prevent future injuries to nursing homes residents.

The family has hired nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers Michael Hill and William Eadie of Eadie Hill Trial Lawyers.

Who is the Brookdale Senior Living Company?

The Brookdale Senior Living Company is the owner of Brookdale Senior Living Communities and Brookdale Marysville and Brookdale Marysville AL/MC. Their corporate headquarters is located at 50 West Broad Street, Suite 1330, Columbus, OH 43215.

This article was written by Kimberly Smith, an investigative journalist writing for nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers Eadie Hill Trial Lawyers. She has a Master’s Degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.