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Nursing homes are a venue that ensures proper medical and personal care for elderly citizens; Unfortunately, nursing home negligence is quite a common phenomenon. Before further details about nursing home neglect, let’s break down what it means.
Nursing home neglect refers to the lack of medical attention and care by a care facility that affects its residents adversely or, in some cases, even results in death. Nursing home abuse against elderly residents is the most commonly reported issue under general health-related negligence.
Common examples of nursing home neglect include:
- Leaving a resident with mobility issues unattended in a room for hours.
- Failure to respond to calls for assistance when on duty.
- Failure to provide medical aid when needed
- Poor residential hygiene
- Irregular or Insubstantial Meals
- Inadequate Medical Treatment
Nursing homes allow elderly residents to receive ultimate care and attention, but a tiny mistake can be problematic. It is essential to understand that such negligence won’t only hurt the nursing home’s reputation but also cause mental and physical problems for the residents. A Nursing home or care centers’ infrastructure is based on complete care and immediate responses. The facilities exist to meet professional care’s moral obligation to keep elderly residents living healthy and peaceful lives. As the elderly population increases, the need for such nursing homes increases; however, negligent occurrences keep growing in numbers.
According to the National center of elder abuse (NCEA), nearly 95% of the older residents face issues and negligence in nursing homes, which is quite a considerable number. Therefore, it is high time to understand the root causes to eradicate such problems and provide the residents with the utmost care. If you or a loved one have been abused, it’d be best to reach out to a qualified attorney to learn how to sue a nursing home for negligence or abuse.
Types of nursing home neglect
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is the most common abuse in most nursing homes where a resident is insulted or threatened. Emotional abuse includes:
- Controlling the resident’s activities
- Threatening residents
- Insulting or bullying residents for their condition or appearance
- Isolating residents or leaving them unattended
Physical abuse
It may seem unreal, but residents also suffer from bodily harm and injuries from nursing home abuse. Physical abuse includes:
- Being kicked or punched
- Using strains and ties on the residents
- Pushing or shoving
- Being physically aggressive when interacting with residents
Medical negligence
Medical negligence refers to poor medical assistance and care. It can eventually lead to physical and emotional abuse and, in some cases, even death. Medical Negligence includes:
Inappropriate Medication
Treating patients using unauthorized or Irregular doses of medicine and not administering medication when required. As elderly residents depend on their caregivers for treatment, this inappropriate medication can result in serious medical complications.
Personal hygiene
The facility does not pay enough attention to the residents and keeps the place and population unsanitary.
Dehydration or malnutrition.
To provide Insufficient meals or water to the residents or keep messy dietary schedules that affect the residents’ health.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse occurs when any resident is subjected to unwanted physical contact, assault, or groping. Unfortunately, this is common in abusive nursing homes, and the worst part is the victims include disabled and paralyzed residents.
Financial abuse
Financial abuse refers to the facility’s staff stealing money and valuables or manipulating the residents into giving them money. Financial abuse can be very stressful and leave the residents facing mental complications.
Elder abandonment
Abandonment is the most common type of nursing home negligence, where the staff leaves an elderly resident alone for several hours or fails to keep them within their line of sight in case of an emergency.
Prevent such issues
It is essential to discuss such issues and raise your voice, and you can do so in the following ways:
Report an emergency
If your loved one is suffering from any physical abuse or improper medical care, call and report to emergency services right away to protect their health. It will help them get immediate attention and initiate a trial against the nursing home regarding the lack of medical attention or the resident’s medical condition.
Conduct an investigation
If your loved one faces any negligence in a nursing home, it’s essential to gather some information to strengthen your claim. First, it will help your lawyer file a claim and talk to other residents to get further information. Then, the lawyer can bring proof to the concerned authority and collect the medical records to help your case.
Report the abuse
If you hear of any issues or abuse in a facility, don’t stay silent; report what you learn to an emergency service. This could strike an investigation against the administration and maybe even cancel the registration and license of the nursing home.
Remove your loved one from the nursing home.
There is no point in leaving your family member in a facility where abuse or assault is common. Instead, find a better place for the resident before reporting the issue to relevant authorities.
Initiate a lawsuit
It is essential to know your civil rights. Such abusive nursing homes can cause permanent damage to your loved ones’ mental or physical health. Contact a nursing home abuse lawyer to discuss the whole situation; in this way, the lawyer will explain the charges and elements that will strengthen your claim.
Conclusion
Nursing home negligence is a common issue that needs to halt. However, one can’t take action against big organizations without proper homework. Therefore, it is essential to talk to a nursing home abuse lawyer or consult with an NGO to help your loved ones and strengthen your claim. Professional legal services are crucial to making a solid case. No individual deserves to suffer such disgusting treatment; we need to do whatever it takes to end these poor practices and improve the future care experience for nursing home residents.
