Five Things You Can Do If You Notice a Burn Injury on a Nursing Home Resident

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A man displays a bandage protecting a recent nursing home burn injuryYou are stunned by what you see. Your loved one has suffered a burn injury—you can see it clearly on her skin. What isn’t clear is what you should do now. You need to know how this happened, you need to get your loved one medical care, and you need to keep your loved one safe from further injury.

How to Get Started

It can be overwhelming to think of your loved one being deliberately hurt or neglected to the point where she could suffer a burn injury. However, you need to take action. You can begin by:

  • Asking your loved one about the burn mark. Your loved one may or may not be able to tell you how the injury happened.
  • Asking the nurse on duty if the burn has been treated and documented in your loved one’s medical record. You want to know what treatment has been tried and whether it has worked. Additionally, you want to make sure that the burn injury is part of your loved one’s medical record. This is important both for her medical care and a potential legal claim.
  • Speaking to the doctor or nurse who treated your loved one, if your loved one has received treatment. This may provide you with information about your loved one’s diagnosis, staging of the burn, and prognosis. It may also provide you with valuable information in case you need a second opinion.
  • Getting your loved one medical care that you trust. If you have any concern about the medical care that your loved one is receiving, then you should get a second medical opinion as soon as possible.
  • Considering whether your loved one needs to be moved to another nursing home. You will need to decide if this was an isolated incident that is unlikely to recur or if you need to move your loved one to another facility in order to keep her safe from future abuse or neglect injuries.

The steps described above may help you understand what happened to your loved one, get your loved one the medical care she needs, and keep her safe from future injuries, but there is one more important thing that you need to do.

Has Your Loved One Been Injured in a Nursing Home?

If you believe your loved one is being subjected to nursing home abuse you need to speak with an experienced Kentucky nursing home neglect attorney as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our office directly at 888.450.4456 to schedule a free consultation.

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