When we place a senior relative into a nursing home, we want to hope that we have done the best for them. So when we realize that this may not be the case, it can devastate us and cause us fear about what’s to come. It may come as a shock to learn that our cherished senior relative may have been suffering from abuse in many different ways, such as financially, physically, mentally, or sexually. It’s only understandable that we’d want to intervene immediately and make sure our loved one is safe from further harm. However, we must empower ourselves with knowledge and what the signs of nursing home abuse are before we can serve as the protectors that we want to be.
Administrative Mistakes
Administrative mishaps may not be purposeful, but simple mistakes can have serious consequences. Administrative errors may cause issues that lead to failing to provide a patient their medications on time, failing to repair broken or hazardous equipment in rooms promptly, and failing to ensure that every patient has enough water or food. Staff are expected to enter patient information and data correctly to prevent harmful incidents from happening.
Fractures From Falls
It is the duty of a nursing home facility to make sure the area is safe and that residents are living in good conditions. Nursing homes are required to abide by laws and regulations, including offering enough supervision to prevent injury or death to residents. As your lawyer may investigate, like a nursing home abuse lawyer families trust at Dave Albo, staff that are not diligent when it comes to safety may cause a patient to sustain fractures from falling off their bed, out of a wheelchair, and more.
Monetary Exploitation
Nursing home residents are vulnerable to being financially exploited. This form of abuse can entail forgery, theft, undue influence, and unapproved utilization of funds. Staff members may use their position and power to access the resident’s financial information, then taking advantage of them for personal financial benefit. If you notice that your loved one’s bank account statements don’t look right or estate planning documentation has suddenly changed, it’s worth considering whether financial exploitation is happening.
Lack Of Staffing
A big issue in nursing home facilities is the lack of staffing. There are laws that address how many nursing home staff is required, but many opt out and choose to cut corners so that expenses are reduced. What ends up occurring is there are not enough staff around to give full attention to each resident equally. Substandard care and overworked care staff can lead to resident injury, illness, death, or other harm.
Bed Sores and Bruises
A preventable injury that is commonly seen in cases of nursing home neglect is what are referred to as bed sores. A resident may develop these serious sores that can eventually cause death. But many nursing home facilities fail by not having enough care staff to move and clean residents enough to prevent bed sores, or fail to provide staff with training to notice when bed sores are present and how to treat them.
