If you have a senior loved one residing in a nursing home, you must have conjured up countless thoughts about possible catastrophic incidents they might figure into.
Especially when left unsupervised by nursing home personnel, they can suffer all sorts of injuries, one of which are burns. They can spill steaming hot beverages or food on themselves. A staff member may also carelessly prepare a bath or shower for them using a heater set at unsafe temperatures. Depending on the degree of burns, they may require painful treatment and prolonged rehabilitative care.
Even a harmless lit cigarette can trigger a fire emergency in extreme scenarios. In these tragic situations, how secure is your loved one’s safety?
Fire-safe checklist
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) encourages you and other Mississippi families to proactively ensure your elderly’s safety in case of nursing home fires. Aside from specific smoking policies, you may also inquire about the following preventive measures as you finalize which nursing home to entrust your loved one or when you conduct a routine inspection during their stay.
- No items must block escape doors or hallways
- An evacuation plan with everyone’s awareness and involvement must be in place
- The staff-to-patient ratio must be adequate for the evacuation plan’s proper execution
You also have the right to demand details about the facility’s maintenance and other safety protocols from the nursing home management. Further, NFPA imposes that every nursing home should regularly practice quick response procedures, like enforcing a code word among the staff as an alert signal, activating fire alarms and accounting for every senior patient.
Fighting fire
Fire can result in burn injuries that may financially drain you and alter the remaining days of your loved one. If you can prove that the nursing home harmed your loved one instead of providing them with optimal care, you may fight to recover compensation. Your legal counsel can guide you in identifying which kind of nursing home negligence caused your loved one’s injuries or demise.
