A 76-year-old resident in a New Mexico nursing home was placed on a bed pan and left unattended for 24 hours. As a result of the staff’s failure to remove the resident from the bedpan, it become lodged in the resident’s skin. An open wound developed and became infected. The resident died from the infection 5 days later. The resident had been admitted to the facility for rehabilitation after her had suffered a broken hip. The incident occured on Christmas Day in 2005.
The owner of the facility has been found guilty of elder abuse and neglect. The facility faces up to a $5,000 fine and may be excluded from receiving reimbursement from Medicare/Medicaid.
Website Resource:
Nursing Home Owner Convicted in Bedpan Death, www.wiredprnews.com, February 22, 2009.
