According to a 2014 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 15,600 nursing homes in the United States. A nursing home is a facility that host patients who may not necessarily be in need of medical attention, but require specialized care. Most of its residents are the elderly who suffer from advanced age-related issues such as arthritis, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, cancer among other conditions.
Nursing homes and senior housing may offer you or your loved one an opportunity to access better care from specialized nursing staff. However, conditions in these facilities are not always merry as they sound to be. As of 2014, there were more than 1.4 million nursing home residents in the United States and the number is steadily growing. With that progress, there have also been increasing reported cases of nursing home abuse that has resulted in severe injuries and sometimes, unfortunate death.
Nursing home negligence occurs in the presence of intentional abuse or medical malpractice by the staff who are mandated to care for residents. The commercialization of nursing home has made the sector drift away from offering quality care and rather focus on making money. As a result, authorities tasked with protecting residents of nursing homes have come up with stringent measures and policies that ensure the safety and well being of residents. This has also led to the demand for nursing home neglect attorneys who’ve really helped to fight for residents’ rights.
Sometimes residents themselves aren’t aware of the abuse or malpractice they are subjected to, which makes their condition to be even worse. Abuse could be as a result of things like poor living conditions, understaff, incompetency and staff errors. In case of any malpractice, nursing home neglect attorneys are there to help in filing a civil lawsuit against the party at fault.
One factor that highly propels abuse in residents is the issue with staffing. An understaffed nursing home means that there is more work to be done in caring for the elders with limited staff members. This could result in negligence or pure mistake caused by fatigue. That’s why it’s important to know the labor force a given nursing home has before enrolling yourself or a member of a family to it. Another source of abuse could stem from staff incompetence. If a nurse hasn’t fully grasped the responsibilities in caring for seniors, then the residents are in danger. This is especially serious for residents under medications or constant monitoring. Nursing homes should employee and train their staff on the best practices that ensure the safety and security of its residents.
In the presence of abuse, malpractice or negligence, the person responsible may be prosecuted and further professional consequences may follow. But this is only possible with the assistance of nursing home neglect attorneys. These experts will help you collect evidence of abuse, and prepare a strong case for the law.