Martha Young, 62, who family members say was lapsed into a diabetic come due to nursing home neglect, received a $2 million settlement from the Vallejo care facility where she was a resident. According to a news report in the Times-Herald, Young has been in a permanent vegetative state since the fall of 2008 when she suffered a second diabetic coma in less than two months. Both her diabetic comas were suffered when she was in the care of Crestwood Recovery and Rehabilitation Center. The settlement was reached even as a jury pool was being prepared for the trial.
Young's attorneys say she was in "decent shape" when she became a resident at the nursing home. She did have mental health issues and was a diabetic. But within 50 days of getting to Crestwood she was not eating, drinking or taking her medication. Family members said in the lawsuit that the facility had a responsibility to care for Young and make sure she ate, drank and took her medication.
Victim Suffers Two Diabetic Comas
Young suffered an initial diabetic coma, which she recovered from after a brief hospital stay. However, she went into her second diabetic coma when a worker at the nursing home administered insulin after Young had not eaten in many hours. The family hopes that this lawsuit will bring attention to the problem of nursing home abuse and neglect and prevent such incidents from happening in the future. Doctors say Young's condition is permanent and that she could live in this vegetative state for 20 years.
Holding Negligent Nursing Homes Accountable
Like many other incidents of nursing home neglect, this one could have been prevented entirely. A number of these tragedies continue to occur in California because nursing facilities are constantly looking to cut corners and boost profits. They do this by understaffing their facilities and hiring low-salary nursing aides and assistants, who are often overworked. Such an approach by management creates an environment in nursing homes, which is conducive to neglect and abuse - and it's unacceptable.
As a California personal injury lawyer who represents many victims of nursing home abuse and neglect, I commend the Young family for taking a stand, going after the negligent nursing home and bringing more awareness to these issues. As Young's family members say, these lawsuits are not all about the money. They would rather have a loved one who was talking and smiling rather than in a vegetative state. Such lawsuits are, however, necessary not only to punish negligent nursing homes, but also to hold them accountable for their actions.
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