Georgia Nursing Home Pressure Sore Lawsuit Results in $1.25M Verdict

A state court jury in Georgia returned a verdict of $1.25 million last month as compensation for nursing home pressure sores and other injuries caused by negligent care at Tucker Nursing Home.

The Georgia nursing home lawsuit was filed on behalf of Melvin Raybon, who died four years ago from unrelated causes. The complaint filed by his daughter alleged that he was not provided adequate care or attention, resulting in severe pressure sores that caused extreme pain and suffering over the last 12 months of his life.

Pressure sores, which are also known as decubitus ulcers or bedsores, are caused when prolonged pressure is allowed to be placed one area of the body. This can restrict blood flow to the skin, causing the breakdown of tissue.

In hospitals and nursing homes, pressure sores can be caused by a lack of proper attention by staff to ensure that patients are turned and not left in one position for extended periods of time. The ulcers are most commonly found in areas of the body where skin covers prominent bones, such as in the shoulder blade or tailbone region.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a DeKalb County jury ruled that nursing home negligence at a facility where he lived for nine months caused the painful bed sores. As a result of inadequate staff levels, the lawsuit alleged that Raybon was only turned every four hours, as opposed to the two hour intervals necessary to avoid the pressure sores.

During the trial, four certified nursing assistants who worked at Tucker Nursing Home where Raybon was living, testified that the facility did not provide enough employees to provide adequate care for residents.

Tucker Nursing Home is a facility with over 130 beds, which was owned by Kindred Healthcare at the time Raybon was a resident there. Under new ownership, the nursing home is now known as Grace Healthcare of Tucker.

Under a new rating system released by Medicare last month, Grace Healthcare of Tucker only received 2 out of 5 stars for overall quality of care and nursing home staffing levels, which ranks “below average.”