The death of an elderly patient earlier this year who died after walking away from the Wisconsin assisted living facility she called home for two years exemplifies the dangers of nursing home negligence nationwide.
Eighty-five year old Delores Wiersum walked out of the backside of the facility just after midnight on January 17th, and it took staff about four hours to realize the woman was gone. By the time police found her forty minutes later, she was frozen, bloodied and injured after spending hours outside in freezing cold temperatures in the middle of the night.
"To me this is just unthinkable what happened," said the patient's son, Tom. "We felt that we had a good relationship with everybody there. We felt our mom was 100% safe. The fact that this could have happened to me was something that we didn't even imagine."
The deceased patient's family is suing the Heritage Woods facility and its owner, ThedaCare, for punitive damages and hopes to evoke change to prevent other families from experiencing such negligence in the future. Read the full story here:
Wrongful Death Suit filed in Elderly Woman's Death
Unfortunately nursing home negligence is frequent and causes injury, wrongful death and severe pain and suffering to thousands of patients each year. Each of us places our trust for our elderly loved ones in an institution with the idea they will provide good and safe care. When malpractice, negligence or wrongful death occurs, an attorney should be retained to investigate.
If you or someone you love has been injured due to nursing home abuse or negligence, call the professionals at Crandall & Pera Law for a free case evaluation. Crandall & Pera Law is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.