When New Jersey residents come to the point when they have to go into a nursing home or other care facility, they do so with the expectation that they will be adequately cared for. This is particularly important for the elderly; what might be a harmless slip-and-fall incident for a younger person could turn into a critical event for an older person if monitoring is lax.
A tragic accident at a care facility recently took the life of a nun who had spent part of her career in New Jersey. The 91-year-old woman somehow fell when she had scalding-hot water running. The water overflowed and burned her, and she died the following day.
It turns out that the facility had been inspected earlier this year and issues were found with the water temperature there. Three sinks were found to have water temperatures more than 10 degrees above the state limit, at 130 degrees. A representative of the care facility says that the citations applied to a different building than the one the nun lived in, but it does demonstrate that the facility was aware of potential issues with the water temperature before the accident happened.
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is investigating the accident, but in the meantime, the family of the woman who died — if she has any close family, owing to her status as a nun — might want to inquire about their legal options with an attorney who has experience dealing with claims arising from nursing home negligence.
Source: CBS Pittsburgh, “Public Welfare Dept. Investigating After Nun Is Scalded At Personal Care Home, Dies,” Paul Martino, March 7, 2014