From the natural aging process to injuries, illnesses, and disabilities, various things can render a person vulnerable enough to need some level of specialized care.
And especially if they’re approaching their golden years, this person could be someone you really care about, so you decide to take the responsibility of ensuring they get the skilled nursing care they need.
But is their safety and wellness guaranteed? What if your loved one is subjected to neglect and abuse in the facility you send them to?
These are just some of the many questions you should ask before seeing them off to a nursing home.
In this piece, we shall look at five facts you should know about nursing home abuse so you can ensure the safety of an elderly or vulnerable relative.
1. Forms of Nursing Home Abuse
There are various forms of nursing home abuse. Some of the most common forms include:
- Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse may occur in various forms. Your elderly or vulnerable relative could be verbally abused or subjected to threats, social isolation, and intimidation.
- Sexual Abuse
Often affecting women more than men, sexual abuse is also surprisingly common in nursing homes. It’s essential to steer clear of nursing home facilities with a history of sexual abuse when choosing one for your loved one.
- Financial Abuse
Cases of financial exploitation are also not unheard of in nursing homes. Cases of theft have also been reported in many elderly residences.
- Physical Abuse
This happens when a nursing home resident is physically harassed or mistreated. It could be a simple shove, a push, or a slap, which could potentially worsen the vulnerable person’s state of health. It may also occur among residents or from staff to residents.
2. Nursing Homes without Enough Staff Are Dangerous
Understaffed nursing homes can be quite dangerous.
As the attorneys at nursinghomelawyerpa.com assert, your vulnerable relative could easily be a victim of neglect or abuse in a facility without enough, adequately trained nurses and nursing assistants.
If there isn’t enough staff, the available employees are more likely to suffer from burnout since they may have to work longer, more depressing shifts.
At times, some of them may not even show up to work at all, possibly causing a resident to suffer neglect if not receive inferior care.
Moreover, an overworked nursing home employee is more likely to fail to respond to urgent issues like strokes, falls, and other injuries.
Some may even lash out at a resident due to their depressing working conditions.
3. Nursing Home Abuse Can Happen Anywhere
It’s believed that there are only a handful of U.S. nursing homes that have been cited or investigated for the aforementioned forms of abuse.
Nonetheless, some nursing homes do have troubled histories with such cases, often bringing shame to the facilities involved.
So, even after picking the most reputable facility for them out there, caring for your elderly loved ones should involve checking on them often.
After all, you don’t want to be the perpetrator of elderly neglect – the very thing you’re trying to avoid, right?
4. Staff or the Facility May Be To Blame for Nursing Home Abuse
As outlined earlier, nursing home abuse or neglect may present in various ways.
Besides understaffing, the facility can be held liable in circumstances like medication errors, hiring negligence, inadequate staff training, and violation of statutory or regulatory laws.
In some instances, however, staff, third parties, or even other residences may be held solely responsible for nursing home abuse.
Sometimes it’s not really clear who should take the blame, making it important to seek legal counsel if a vulnerable loved one falls victim to neglect or abuse in a nursing home.
5. A Licensed Nursing Is Safer
To avoid nursing home abuse, it’s paramount to ensure that the facilities you choose to put your loved ones in are safe, comfortable, and clean.
It’s best to consider a facility that is inspected and duly licensed by the appropriate state authority or else you might be putting your vulnerable relative at risk of neglect and abuse.
Regardless of whether you have enough time to take care of them from home or not, sending a vulnerable relative to a nursing home facility might be the best thing to do to ensure their health and wellness.
However, it’s important to do so while putting their safety and overall well-being into consideration.
You will hopefully be more at ease when choosing a facility with the above few facts in mind.