$3 Million Settlement Secured by Dudensing Law in Nursing Home Neglect Case
March 14, 2025
Originally published by
dudensinglaw.com
Dudensing Law has secured a $3 million settlement for the family of an 85-year-old woman following a case of severe elder abuse and neglect. The settlement brings justice to the family after their loved one suffered while under the care of a nursing home.
The patient, who had lived independently with her husband of over 50 years and managed his complex medical care, including kidney dialysis, fractured her right distal femur in a May 2022 fall. After successful surgery at San Francisco General Hospital, she was transferred to a nursing home for short-term rehabilitation in June 2022.
The nursing home, whose duty it was to share this information, failed to notify the patient’s physician of 14 critical lab values related to leukocytosis and eosinophilia, specific conditions that her attending physician was monitoring. The abnormal lab results were not reviewed by a nurse practitioner for 24 hours.
During her stay, the patient had seven episodes of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, but only one of these episodes was reported to her physician. The facility did not properly clean her, only giving her one shower during her 18-day admission. During an occupational therapy session, the patient’s blood pressure was dangerously low at 80/52. While the therapist alerted nursing staff about this concerning reading, nursing records show no evidence that any action was taken to address this potentially serious medical issue.
Just 18 days after her admission to the nursing home, the patient was found dead in her bed in June 2022.
The care provided by this nursing home facility was not only a gross showcase of neglect but had deadly consequences. This settlement serves as a reminder that healthcare facilities must be held accountable for their failure to provide adequate care to vulnerable elderly patients. Dudensing Law continues to advocate for patients of elder abuse and their families, ensuring that justice is served and standards of care are upheld in nursing facilities throughout California.