Today’s population of seniors is growing faster than ever before. Report after report shows that we are all getting older than previous generations. We are living longer. Sounds like a good thing but it can come with its pitfalls and challenges. First and foremost among the challenges are finding an affordable and safe place where your loved one will be cared for as you would expect. However, what do you do if your mother/father/loved one is showing signs of neglect in the nursing home? What avenues do you have to prevent this or stop it?
Nursing home negligence is growing area of concern. Many of the elderly are not being adequately taken care of. As a result, several health issues can arise. Most often, sign of bedsores will appear. Staff should be required to assist the resident in activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing and other hygiene needs. Most assisted living facilities or nursing homes do have employees who do a good job caring for their residents. However, sometimes a loved one can get lost in the shuffle or neglected because of staffing or training issues.
To prove a case of nursing home negligence, you should be on the lookout for any development of the following issues:
Bed sores or pressure ulcers developing: The stages of bed sores vary and can be from mild irritation on the skin to a serious and deadly infection. These develop over a period of time when pressure on a part of the body remains unrelieved for hours or even days. It is important that the staff gets the resident up and moving on a routine basis to prevent the development of bedsores.
Malnutrition: Many residents need special diets to accommodate their nutritional needs. Facilities should have enough resources to provide the resident with adequate nutritional support, including preventing dehydration and calcium deficiencies. If a resident’s nutritional needs are not met, they can fall subject to pneumonia or strains of the flu.
Falls: This is perhaps what most people think of when it comes to nursing home negligence issues. An elderly fall victim can die as a result of the injury. Hip injuries are extremely debilitating to any older person. They can lead to bedsores and pneumonia because of the lack of mobility that result from a fall. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the facilities have adequate supervision and procedures in place to identify potential fall victims and how to help them.
If you have a loved one in a residential care facility, be on the lookout for the following:
· Persistent Bruising
· Open sores that will not heal
· Poor hygiene
· Severe weight loss or gain
· Demotivation
Should you witness any of the preceding issues, contact us for a free consultation. We can answer any questions you may have and help you decide what your best move is. We handle cases of nursing abuse, negligence or injury. So call us to speak to one of our attorneys.