Discovering And Ending Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect

The atrocities that occur in some nursing homes are ones that no resident should ever have to endure. Sometimes, the people who are living in these horrible conditions don’t speak up because they don’t want to cause problems. They might think they are burdens and don’t feel like bringing up complaints.

The trouble with this is that nursing home abuse and negligence can lead to health problems and even death. If you have a loved one in a nursing home, you must be prepared to advocate for them. This might help them to avoid having to deal with traumatic situations that stem from substandard or abusive care.

Know the basis of the comments

There is a chance that your loved one won’t complain about the conditions in the nursing home, but you might be able to pick up some clues from conversations. Common complaints in nursing homes include those about roommates, the food and lost items. While the complaint about having to room with someone usually just requires some adjustment, the other two are more serious.

A complaint about the food could mean that your loved one isn’t getting the nutrition they need. Be on the lookout for signs of malnutrition, which can require medical care. You might try to come to the nursing home to eat with your loved one or bring snacks to eat together.

Missing items are serious because they could signal that there is a thief in the facility. You should have insurance on the items in the nursing home. Keep a close eye for any trends on what’s missing. For example, if things always go missing on laundry day, maybe they are getting caught in the bedding that is being washed.

One huge red flag is that you see your loved one being isolated. In some cases, it might seem like workers are hovering when you visit them. Make note of things like this so that you address them when you discuss the resident’s care with the staff and others.

Taking action

Make sure that you are attending the reviews of your loved one’s care plan. This can give you an idea of what is going on. It might also explain some of the decisions that are being made regarding the care. You can bring up concerns then.

You also have the option of talking to people within the nursing home. Discussing care lapses with the nursing staff and administrators might help. If you have to talk to them about this, you might also need to call the ombudsman to address the problems. In serious cases, legal action may be necessary.