Neglect in Nursing Homes

The high cost of nursing home care seems to always be in the headlines, and projected costs are only expected to increase as time goes on. For the prices charged by long-term care facilities, you would expect residents to be treated like royalty with their every need catered to. The reality, however, is often just the opposite.

Nursing homes often fail to hire sufficient staff to provide proper care. Why do the do this? To increase profits.  Staffing is the largest expense in most nursing home businesses. By cutting staff, and increasing the number of high level care residents, nursing home owners can increase their profits. What research has shown time and time again, as the number of staff decreases in a nursing home, the rates of falls, pressure wounds, infections and fractured bones goes up.

Nursing home  also fail to train and supervise staff adequately to ensure caregivers know what to do to meet the residents’ needs and that they are following through with required tasks properly.

As a result, many nursing home residents suffer from neglect to such a serious extent that it leads to severe physical and psychological problems. These practices need to stop, and often the only way to get nursing homes to address the problems is to take legal action.

At The Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Law Firm, PC, LLO our practice is devoted entirely to helping victims of nursing home misconduct. We know how nursing homes operate, we understand how to investigate to uncover the truth, and we can help victims and their families find the best remedies to provide justice, meet future needs, and prevent others from suffering from similar neglect and abuse in the future.

Pressure Wounds and Infections

One of the most obvious signs of neglect and often the cause of the most suffering for nursing home residents are pressure wounds, also known as bedsores. These occur when continuous pressure from one or more parts of the body obstruct the flow of blood, causing skin and underlying tissues to break down. Typically, pressure wounds develop where a bony part of the body rests against a relatively hard surface, such as when a resident’s tailbone rests on a mattress. This typically occurs when residents are left to languish for hours in the same position in their beds or in their wheelchairs.

Residents who are confined to bed or chair and those who have trouble moving on their own are particularly vulnerable to pressure wounds. Nursing homes are well aware of the dangers caused as tissues break down and become infected. Each patient is supposed to have a risk assessment and plan to prevent pressure wounds, generally requiring patients to be repositioned regularly to prevent excessive pressure. When staff fail to follow the plan due to overwork or other issues, patients suffer terribly, and infection from the wounds can spread throughout the body and lead to death.

Neglect in Hydration and Feeding

All nursing home staff are aware that the residents they care for need food and water to live, but they are often not aware of the steps they need to take to ensure that residents receive proper hydration and nutrition. Putting a cup of water and a tray of food out is often not enough to meet residents’ needs. Residents frequently need to have food cut into small pieces and they may need assistance with feeding. When they have difficulty swallowing, they may not even try to eat or drink on their own. Staff members and supervisors often do not keep track of whether residents are actually ingesting food or water. Neglected patients are at risk of choking or suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.

Lack of Supervision and Reliance on Artificial Restraint

In many cases, doctors recommend that individuals receive care in a nursing home because it is impossible for them to receive adequate supervision in a home setting. But they can be left unsupervised in a senior care facility as well. 

Many residents are at serious risk of injury if they fall, so they require assistance when moving or using the  restroom. Understaffed nursing homes often do not provide the supervision and assistance that residents require, with the result that they suffer falls needlessly or they wander into situations that could be hazardous. Some nursing homes attempt to make up for the lack of adequate staffing by using physical restraints or excessive medication to keep patients from moving. These actions cause physical and mental harm that can cause a resident’s condition to deteriorate rapidly.

It is heartbreaking to follow a doctor’s instructions to move a loved one into a nursing home only to find that they have suffered from neglect and injuries in an uncaring and unfamiliar environment.

Working to End Nursing Home Neglect

Nursing homes operate as businesses, and they will continue to try to operate without adequate staff until they are forced to address the problems and change their procedures. Legal action is often the only way to get the nursing home owners to take notice of practices that lead to neglect. A lawsuit or other legal action can help victims obtain justice and resources to meet future needs. More importantly, it can lead to changes that improve living conditions for countless other residents in the future.

The Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Law Firm, PC, LLO powered by Reed Law Offices, PC, LLO is focused on protecting seniors who have suffered due to greed and neglectful practices of long-term care facilities. For a confidential consultation to discuss how we can investigate and pursue justice for harm caused by neglect, contact our team today.