Opinion ID: 416888
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: nursing care

Text: 56 Although the trial judge found that Johnson's injuries required 24-hour home nursing care, he calculated damages based on 12-hour care. 510 F.Supp. at 1045. The court reasoned that Johnson's wife could provide care for the remaining 12 hours of every day. 57 Even though the award of damages is within the sound discretion of the district court, see supra at 1441-1442, we are compelled to order damages based on 24-hour home nursing care. There is no evidence in the record to support the trial court's award of only 12-hour care. On the contrary, undisputed medical testimony proves that Johnson will require 24-hour professional care for the remainder of his life. Although Johnson's wife might theoretically be able to provide such care for 12 hours per day, uncontradicted trial testimony indicates that such an imposition would seriously threaten the Johnsons' marriage. In short, Clara Johnson should not be obligated to provide her husband with 12 hours of nursing care each day for as long as he lives. The trial court's damages should thus be modified to reflect the cost of 24-hour professional nursing care. We do not mean to state, however, that the item for professional nursing care must be simply doubled by the trial court because the trial court divided the nursing services to be provided under its order between a licensed practical nurse and a home health aide to constitute the 12-hour nursing which the court found would suffice. It is, of course, open to the trial court to reassess the 24-hour needs within the requirements for a licensed practical nurse and a home health aide upon remand.