When most people worry about a loved one suffering an injury in a nursing home or other care facility, they imagine bone fractures, head injuries, spinal cord damage and other harm that can happen in a fall.
While these are certainly all potential dangers, some residents suffer serious and even fatal harm caused by ingesting or being exposed to toxic products. This can happen when residents wander into an area they shouldn’t be able to access, like a supply closet, laundry room or even the kitchen. It can also be caused by staff mistakes and negligence.
How were multiple people poisoned at two facilities?
A Louisville-based company, Atria Senior Living, had several fatal cases of poisoning in two assisted living facilities in another state a few years ago that show what can happen if appropriate precautions aren’t taken or staff are careless.
In one instance, multiple residents were poisoned, and at least one died after they were served dishwashing liquid that staff members mistook for juice and placed in a pitcher.
The same month, in the memory care unit of another Atria facility, a man died after drinking cleaning fluid that was in the kitchen. Prior to getting the autopsy results, the facility claimed that he’d suffered a negative reaction after eating “spicy chips.” An employee was later charged with a felony in that case for elder or adult dependent abuse resulting in death. The man’s son said, “It’s like leaving a bottle of caustic cleaning agent in a daycare….He just saw something to drink and he drank it.”
Residents with cognitive impairment are especially vulnerable when poisonous products are accessible or mistaken for something else. However, multiple precautions need to be taken in all care facilities around products that are toxic to consume or even to breathe. Even a taste of a toxic product can potentially be fatal.
If your loved one suffered harm due to such negligence or to an intentional action, it’s crucial to get legal guidance as soon as possible to help ensure that they and your family get justice and compensation. Doing so can also help save other vulnerable people from suffering the same fate.
