Corona in the Nursing Home

[JDIAC]

My question involves malpractice in the state of: TN

So my mother's nursing home had a outbreak of Corona. My mom is totally immobile and prefers to stay in her bed. Two things have me questioning their practices. First, the worst one, is that they "made" her go out into the hallway. She told them she didn't want to go and they told her she had to. The second thing is that her roommate loves to go out and roam the hallways during the day. So her roommate was permitted to do her usual roaming and contracted the virus. My mom, who has stayed in her room, except for that one aforementioned instance, now has the virus.

Could those two factors be considered malpractice in the nursing home? My mom being made to leave her room against her will, and the roommate being allowed to roam hallways during an outbreak?

I think the best practice would have been for my mother to be placed with a roommate similar to her old one that unfortunately passed away...someone else similar to her who does not roam the hallways (bedridden). A lack of common sense has caused my mother to contract this virus and she will probably not make it through.

[pg1067]

Could be.

[cbg]

What was the reasoning behind making her get up? If it was to prevent muscles from atrophying, that could be a very different story than if it was enforced socialization.

[gail in georgia]

"My mom is totally immobile and prefers to stay in her bed. "

The problem with this scenario is that this places your mother at great risk of developing terrible bedsores which often are extremely difficult to heal in the bedbound elderly.

Gail

[JDIAC]

I don't know the reason behind making her go out into the hallway. She doesn't know either and she told them she didn't want to go out there. She will sit up in her wheelchair in her room, which is what we (her kids) have told her to do. We told her do not go out into the hallway and we told her to make sure she witnesses the care providers changing gloves, make sure they are wearing PPE, and for her to wear her mask.

I shouldn't say she is "totally" immobile. She doesn't walk. She can move her arms, hands, neck...she is not completely paralyzed. She just doesn't walk and falls...her legs don't work right anymore.