Tort Liabilities

Tort Liabilities Nursing homes have the potential to have tort liabilities if the problems are not corrected if harm should occur. A nursing home is a busy place and with different people coming and going throughout the day. A nursing home is a high demand for care of residents. Nursing home staff should be knowledgeable about the resident’s quality of care and should be licensed to perform the care that is given. Possible Tort Liability: Resident that wanders. These residents are the one the always are trying to find a way out of the building. They can walk independently or they can propel themselves around the facility. They are at risk for elopement. These residents can get out by visitors or let themselves out. These residents should be watched carefully. They should be place on roster for residents that are at risk for elopement. These residents need to have a wander guard bracelet on at all times. The doorways should have a wander guard detector that alerts the staff if the resident were to come in contact with the door. The wander guard bracelet should be checked every shift for proper working conditions. The wander guard placement and working conditions should be charted on every shift. The possible tort that could resort could be allegations of unintentional tort: negligence. Possible Tort Liability: Resident that is incontinent. Resident that is incontinent has little or no control of urine and bowel movement. These residents are at risk for skin breakdowns. Residents that are incontinent should be changed every two hours and as needed. These residents should be on a bowel and bladder program if they are aware of going to the bathroom every two hours. These residents should have protective barrier creams for use after incontinent episodes every day. These residents skin should be checked after every incontinent episode for redness, tenderness, and complaints of pain. Any type of skin concerns should be reported and documented to the