Nursing homes exist, in no small part, because families cannot always meet the care needs of older adults. People who struggle with dementia or who have a history of falling may need more support than their children, spouses or grandchildren can provide them.
Nursing homes help ensure that people receive support in their daily lives and with medical care for their safety and well-being. Unfortunately, not all nursing homes provide a consistent and appropriate standard of care. Some residents in nursing homes experience abuse or neglect that puts them at risk of injury or death. Families of people who experience any of the three issues below may need to take immediate action to protect their aging loved one and hold the facility accountable.
Preventable injuries and illnesses
There are many maladies common in nursing homes that only become issues due to inadequate care. The rapid spread of infestations, the progression of bed sores into the later stages of development and injuries from falls are all examples of medical challenges that nursing homes can typically prevent. If better support and medical evaluation could have prevented someone’s illness or injury, then bed sores, infections or fall injuries could be signs of neglect in a nursing home.
Elopement incidents
Nursing homes should identify residents who are at risk of eloping or leaving without permission. Those who elope may not receive the medical care that they require, such as blood pressure or diabetes medications. Elopement incidents can also lead to severe injury because an adult falls in a strange place, gets hurt in traffic or ends up exposed to the elements overnight. Nursing homes should maintain secure premises and have special protections in place for residents who are at elevated risk of elopement.
Unexplainable physical injuries
If a loved one consistently has bruises and scrapes for which there is no explanation, the true explanation could potentially be abuse. Particularly when repeat injuries come with a change in personality or an unwillingness by staff members to leave family alone with an injured resident, there may be reason to suspect that the individual has endured intentional abuse on the part of their professional caregivers.
Families can take legal action against nursing homes for both negligence and abusive treatment of residents. Holding a facility accountable for mistreating vulnerable adults can compensate those harmed by a nursing home’s poor standard of care and potentially change how the facility treats residents in the future.