Although I have been out of commission during the past week or so, seeing that it is the holidays, there have in the meanwhile been tragic accidents that have occurred as a result of unsafe products, insufficient warnings, and corporate negligence. Bringing them to your attention, I realize, is in a way Scrooge-like and the antithesis of spreading holiday cheer, but for those of us who have a platform to talk about these kinds of accidents, I think it is imperative to do so in the hope that they do not happen again ….
- Fox News in Minnesota reported on how a 71-year old man admitted to a nursing home was carried out 21 days later suffering from severe hydration and subsequently died. The Minnesota Department of Health concluded that the nursing home was neglectful in caring for the man. The Eldercare Rights Alliance plans to ask the state legislature to impose tougher requirements on nursing homes.
- A 2-year old spending the holidays with his parents in Maine died after becoming entangled in a mesh covering placed on top of his crib, reported The Boston Globe. Apparently, the mesh covering was not part of the crib and was purchased separately. However, between 1978 and 1985, when mesh was more commonly used in cribs, 15 children died after being left in cribs or playpens with mesh siding. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is reviewing the incident. Hopefully, the danger of using mesh siding or covering with cribs will be well-publicized after this tragic occurrence; a good idea is to place warnings on and/or in the packaging of both cribs and the mesh.
In sum, infants and elders are two of the most vulnerable segments of our population. During this holiday season, we should take a moment to reflect on how we as a society have failed in some ways to properly take care of them when it comes to, respectively, product safety and nursing home care.
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