Accidental Drowning in Nursing Homes

PHOENIX, AZ, August 09, 2012 (Press-News.org) With the summer heat, everyone is seeking relief, including and especially the elderly. This may include seeking out cool water, either in a swimming pool or in a bathtub. Unfortunately, the elderly are at an increased risk for drowning. In assisted living facilities and nursing homes, staff should be monitoring the elderly under their care and the potential drowning hazards to ensure that residents do not suffer wrongful death.

Drowning at Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted living facilities give residents a high degree of freedom. This freedom is good for elderly residents who need some amount of care and monitoring, but are generally capable of fending for themselves. These facilities often have a number of amenities, and in warmer climates like Arizona and the southwest, this almost always includes a swimming pool.

Assisted living residents have chosen the facility because they are not as fully capable as they once were, and, furthermore, they generally know that their capabilities may continue to diminish. What they can do one day, they may not be able to do the next day. A resident who believes himself or herself fully capable of swimming may find out that he or she is not only after getting into trouble in the pool.

To prevent wrongful death by drowning at an assisted living facility, it is crucial that staff monitor potentially dangerous features like a swimming pool in case residents find themselves in trouble. Staff should also keep touch with residents to make sure that their abilities remain consistent with the standards of assisted living and do not require the higher level of care that only nursing homes can provide.

Drowning at Nursing Homes

Nursing home residents are known to be incapable of many daily activities that able-bodied youths take for granted. One of these is swimming. If nursing home residents are taken to the pool, they should always be closely monitored by sufficient staff to provide help and even rescue should it become necessary.

Nursing home residents are also at risk for drowning in much smaller amounts of standing water as well. Bath time can potentially be fatal if a nursing home resident is not properly monitored. A sink, even a bowl of water or soup, is a potentially lethal threat to an elderly nursing home resident. Staff needs to be on hand to prevent an everyday situation from becoming lethal.

Drowning and Nursing Home Negligence

Whether at an assisted living facility or nursing home, many drowning incidents could be prevented with proper care and monitoring by the facility. If a drowning occurred at one of these facilities, it is likely attributable to negligence, and may be the grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit.

If you want to learn more about wrongful death lawsuits after drowning at nursing homes, please visit the website of Cullan & Cullan, MD, JD at www.stopnursinghomeabuse.org.