California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
When an aging parent or loved one can no longer live safely at home, families in San Jose often turn to nursing homes or assisted living facilities with the hope that their loved one will receive attentive, professional care. Unfortunately, that trust is not always rewarded. Across Santa Clara County, issues such as chronic understaffing, inadequate supervision, and poor care planning continue to put elderly residents at serious risk. One of the most devastating and frequently overlooked consequences of these failures is traumatic brain injury or TBI.
TBIs are commonly associated with sports injuries or serious car crashes, but they occur far more often than many families realize in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Falls, medication related confusion, and lack of supervision can all lead to head injuries that permanently alter an older adult’s health and independence. San Jose nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers regularly see cases where a single preventable fall changes the entire trajectory of a resident’s life.
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
A recent report highlighted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News draws attention to emerging research showing that TBIs are especially dangerous for older adults when they occur more than once. The article discusses a large scale study published in the peer reviewed journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, which examined the long term cognitive outcomes of nearly 12,000 older adults over a 30 year period.
Researchers followed participants from an average age of 58 into their late 80s and found that 18 percent of them experienced at least one traumatic brain injury during the study period. The findings were striking. Older adults who sustained two or more TBIs experienced cognitive decline at more than twice the rate of those who had no brain injuries. Notably, a single TBI did not appear to have the same accelerated effect. The danger increased dramatically with repeated head trauma.
This matters enormously in the nursing home context. Residents who fall repeatedly due to poor supervision or unsafe conditions may be exposed to compounding brain injuries that significantly increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. For families, this can mean watching a loved one lose memory, communication skills, and independence far sooner than expected.
Falls Are the Leading Cause of TBIs in Nursing Homes
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in older adults. These falls can happen while getting out of bed, transferring to a wheelchair, walking to the bathroom, or attempting other basic daily activities.
In well run facilities, many of these falls are preventable. However, research published through the National Library of Medicine shows that falls in nursing homes are often linked to systemic failures, including inadequate staffing levels, improper monitoring of high risk residents, poor medication management, environmental hazards like slippery floors, and failure to follow individualized care plans.
In San Jose nursing homes, these risks are often exacerbated by staffing shortages and high turnover. When facilities cut corners, residents who require close supervision may be left alone for long periods of time. Over time, repeated falls can lead not just to fractures, but to cumulative brain injuries that permanently impair cognition.
Holding San Jose Facilities Accountable
If your loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury while living in a nursing home or assisted living facility in San Jose, it is critical to understand that this may not be an unavoidable accident. Facilities have a legal duty to assess fall risk, implement safety measures, supervise residents appropriately, and respond to changes in condition. When they fail to do so, they can and should be held accountable.
San Jose nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers help families investigate whether a TBI was caused by negligence, understaffing, or violations of California elder care laws. These cases are not just about a single incident. They are about patterns of neglect that place vulnerable residents in harm’s way day after day.
Speak With San Jose Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawyers
Traumatic brain injuries in elderly residents are often life altering, with consequences that extend far beyond the initial fall. As research now makes clear, repeated TBIs can accelerate dementia, shorten life expectancy, and rob seniors of their remaining quality of life.
If you suspect that a nursing home or assisted living facility in San Jose failed to protect your loved one, San Jose nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Group can help you understand your options. A careful investigation can uncover whether the injury was preventable and whether the facility should be held legally responsible. Taking action not only helps your family seek justice, it also helps protect other residents from suffering the same harm.
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Recognizing Nursing Home Abuse in Older Adults with Dementia
