Nursing Home Neglect Lawsuit Nets $3.2 Million

A Colorado nursing home neglect lawsuit has resulted in a $3.2 million award for the family of an elderly Parkinson’s patient who claims nursing home neglect led to the elderly man’s death. Eighty-eight year old Henry Frazier was moved to the facility in 2009, following his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, despite his previous level of independence in his own home up to that point. While at Pioneer Health Care Center in Rocky Ford, Colorado, Frazier developed a pressure ulcer on his coccyx. The family states the nursing home did little to relieve treat the pressure wound appropriately, and did not alert the family to the seriousness of the wound. Later, when Frazier developed several more pressure ulcers, a direct care staff member confided to the family that the man’s wounds were indeed gravely serious and needed aggressive treatment. 

Frazier’s family then requested that he be sent to the local hospital for care, but the nursing home balked, stating he could be cared for adequately at the nursing home. The family insisted Frazier be transported for emergency evaluation and care. Hospital personnel informed the family that Frazier was dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from a system-wide infection of MRSA, a resistant form of bacteria commonly transmitted in hospitals and nursing homes. Frazier died two months after his admission to the hospital.