Nursing home neglect doesn’t involve intentional acts. It involves negligent acts or failures to act. Nursing home neglect falls under the category of elder abuse. It occurs when the caretaking duties of nursing home staff fall short and aren’t fulfilled. It can be seen in one or more contexts. Some of those might consist of a failure to provide basic needs, medical attention or social and emotional support.
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect
If you’re concerned that your relative who has been confined in a nursing home has been neglected, be on the lookout for the following possible signs:
Decreased Mobility
Sure, we all stiffen up with age, but a quality nursing home will have policies and programs to keep its residents physically active. There’s nothing healthy about keeping residents in their beds or wheelchairs for extended periods of time.
Lack of Personal Hygiene
Many nursing home residents are in need of assistance with personal hygiene tasks like showering or even just brushing their teeth. Some nursing homes are short of staff and just don’t have the personnel to render appropriate assistance.
Psychological Issues
Some residents might even be fearful of nursing home personnel for good reason if they’re treated with a lack of respect. Some others 1are even resentful about being in a nursing home and need the skills to cope with it. Psychological neglect can cause such depression and anxiety and cause a resident to want to be alone with no friends or social interaction.
Nutritional Issues
Some nursing home residents aren’t fed properly, and others will turn away from eating or consuming fluids. A resident’s appetite and nutrition must be monitored.
Unhealthy Living Conditions
A clean environment with clean clothes and bedding is a must. The nursing home should be free of pests, mold and insects. Those don’t contribute to anything.
Injuries
Many nursing home accidental injuries can be attributed to insufficient staffing. Residents falling when getting out of bed, in or out of a chair or in a shower are always at risk.
Medical Issues
Anything from bedsores to a possible diabetic condition can’t be overlooked. If there are signs of these or other conditions, an appropriate medical examination must be performed and the condition must be treated.
Reasons for Nursing Home Neglect
Staffing shortages are the primary reason why some nursing home residents are neglected. The formula to remedy that issue is simple. With ample staffing, residents get the care that they need. When a facility is understaffed, they don’t get the attention that they should have. When they do hire new employees, some nursing homes fail to provide appropriate training for the job or perform thorough background investigations. They might even hire an employee with a known history of nursing home resident abuse.
If you suspect nursing home neglect of a loved one who is a nursing home resident, report it right away to the appropriate authorities. Then, contact us at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, for a free consultation and case review with a nursing home abuse lawyer from our offices. We’re going to listen to you carefully and answer your questions too. After that, we’ll advise you of all of the legal options that you or your loved one have.
