Nursing Home Fails to Seek Emergency Care For Resident

A lawsuit was recently filed against the Sunrise Assisted Living Facility, a nursing home in Rochester, New York for the 2007 death of resident, Donald R. Salli. In August 2007, Salli was severely beaten by another resident who was suffering from dementia. According to the suit, although Salli required immediate medical attention, the staff delayed having him examined by a licensed nurse for seven hours due to their fear that they would be held liable for failing to prevent or stop the attack. Salli was eventually transported to an emergency room the following night with a fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, and multiple rib fractures. After spending a week in the ICU, he was released to a hospice and died 2 months later from his injuries. The suit alleges that the nursing home was negligent in both failing to adequately supervise its residents, and for failing to provide Mr. Salli with necessary medical treatment after he was attacked.

This case is a sad reminder of the types of negligence that can occur within a nursing home facility. Although the facts are not yet known in this case, it is likely that the nursing facility lacked adequate staff to monitor and control its residents, and that the attack might have been prevented if the facility had hired more nurses and nurses' aids and better trained its current staff. If all alleged is true, the shear selfishness of those on duty to delay a severely beaten man medical treatment is appalling.

The Salli lawsuit should serve as a reminder to those running nursing homes to properly train their staff, and to hire an adequate number of nurses and nurses' aids. Make sure to research nursing homes carefully before choosing one, and never let nursing home abuse go unpunished. If you or a loved one have been in a situation similar to this, report the incident immediately, and contact an attorney.