Did Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Cause a Head Injury?

 Posted on May 28, 2025 in Nursing Home Injury and Abuse

If your elderly loved ones are in a nursing home, you expect them to receive proper care. You do not expect to get a call that your parent or elderly loved one suffered a severe head injury. Falls are the primary reason for nursing home injuries, and head injuries are often sustained through falls. The sad fact is that many injuries caused by falls among nursing facility patients are preventable.

It is often harder for older adults to recover from head injuries. Even a minor head injury can lead to major, long-term consequences. If your loved one was harmed due to neglect or abuse in a nursing home, our determined Morris, IL medical malpractice attorney can hold the at-fault party or parties accountable.

What Kinds of Abuse and Neglect Can Lead to Nursing Home Falls?

Many nursing home residents have trouble balancing and walking. Long-term care facilities have a legal duty to take steps to prevent patient falls. Although some falls are sudden and unavoidable, many happen due to neglect:

• Lack of resident supervision
• Failing to assist residents with moving
• Failing to follow proper lifting techniques when transferring a patient from a chair or bed
• Giving incorrect dosages of medications or failing to watch for side effects
• Failing to provide proper hydration and nutrition which can cause increased instability and a higher likelihood of falls
• Insufficient lighting
• Unsafe environments, including slippery floors, cluttered walkways, and loose flooring or rugs
• Unstable or too high chairs or beds

Sadly, not all falls are accidental. Nursing home abuse occurs too often, whether the abuser is another resident or a staff member. Pushing, hitting, and throwing objects at a patient can lead to severe head injuries.

What Are the Potential Consequences of Head Injuries for the Elderly?

The same kind of head injury that would produce only minor consequences for a younger person can be devastating for mature individuals. A traumatic brain injury can have far-reaching effects, causing behavioral changes, memory loss, and impaired mobility. Head wounds may cause skull fractures that require surgery. Brain bleeds can lead to a coma, stroke, or death.

Long hospital stays put these patients at a higher risk for infection, and 24-hour care may be necessary even after discharge from the hospital. Cognitive decline and emotional changes are probable. Permanent disability or death is a real threat when a nursing home patient has a head injury.

How Can a Lawyer Help If Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Caused My Parent’s Head Injuries?

We have the knowledge and resources to conduct a thorough investigation. We will search for the evidence needed to prove that either negligence or an intentional action was responsible for your parent’s fall and resulting injuries. If we can establish that link, we have the grounds for your personal injury claim.

Damages in these cases are specific losses, and everyone’s losses are different. Your parent’s damages could include medical and ongoing care, pain and suffering, and permanent disability. If the head injuries were fatal, a wrongful death claim may address your losses. We know how to calculate damages and fight the liable insurance company for maximum compensation. Without our competent attorney’s assistance, you are unlikely to recover as much compensation as you deserve.

Consult Our Experienced Will County, IL Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer

If an intentional act or negligence led to your parent’s head injuries in his or her nursing home, you need the assistance of our skilled Grundy County, IL personal injury attorney to secure full compensation. Contact Carlson Law Group, P.C. online or at 815-710-3700 now to schedule your complimentary case review.