South Carolina Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

Two daughters are seeking $2 million in a suit that alleges a facility staff improperly administered their mother’s medication, resulting in a fatal inflammation of the lungs.

Sylvia Jacoby was a resident at Irvine Cottages “Board and Care Facility” starting in 2010, where she was treated for dementia and assistance with daily living activities.

As part of her treatment, a physician prescribed certain medications and vitamins for Sylvia to take one by one. The complaint indicates that in an effort to save time, the facility staff crushed the pills and gave them to Jacoby all at once. The powder Jacoby inhaled entered her lungs and bronchial tubes which resulted in aspiration pneumonia, an inflammation of the lungs and airways.

Jacoby died almost two weeks later at an area hospital.

Jacoby’s daughters’  complaint alleges that Irvine Cottages consciously disregarded the potential risks associated with improper medication administration in order to maximize profits.

White and Israel filed a professional negligence and elder abuse action against the facility, the facility operator DuPont Residential Care Inc., and 100 unnamed employees, agents and administrators, alleging that they committed neglect and willful misconduct and elder abuse.

The complaint further alleges that the facility was understaffed and provided inadequate training, such that the staff had insufficient time to properly assist the residents. The complaint also claims that the staff lacked adequate knowledge of proper care.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants’ budget allotted for resident care expense did not meet what was necessary for state minimum staffing levels,  and the facility consciously refused to increase that funding allowing the facility to increase their profit while boosting compensation for administrative personnel.

By: Pete Strom,  South Carolina Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney