Nursing home staff members are often overworked and stretched thin to meet the needs of all their patients. Although it can be easy to see what causes nursing home neglect, nursing home neglect should never be accepted. Nursing home neglect can have serious physical and psychological repercussions for residents. It is a form of medical malpractice that often goes unnoticed, which only allows the problem to continue to persist.
Examples of Nursing Home Neglect
Familiarize yourself with the various ways nursing home residents can suffer neglect. By doing this, you can be a better advocate for your loved one if you suspect he or she is being neglected. A few examples of nursing home neglect include:
- Failing to provide residents with appropriate social and intellectual stimulation, such as group activities;
- Failing to provide residents with enough clean water or nutritionally-balanced food;
- Failing to provide residents with the medical care, whether through drugs or through procedures, when necessary;
- Leaving residents in soiled diapers, dirty clothing, and dirty bedding for prolonged periods of time;
- Failing to turn residents in their beds regularly, causing them to suffer bedsores; and
- Failing to maintain a basic level of cleanliness and safety in the facility. This can include poorly-lit rooms and hallways, cluttered rooms, and broken fixtures.
Recent Nursing Home Neglect Cases in New York
A few recent, notable cases of nursing home neglect in the New York area include the case of the nurses and nurse aid who allegedly neglected a patient who depended on a respirator in a nursing home in Uniondale. The patient’s ventilator failed and the former staff members named in the case allegedly failed to respond to the ventilator’s alarms, allowing the patient to die.
Another case comes from New Jersey, where a nursing home resident’s family members alleged that she had been left to sit in her own waste for prolonged periods of time.
Ways you Can Protect your Loved One from Neglect and Other Abuse in his or her Nursing Home
The best way to protect your loved one from neglect or other forms of nursing home abuse is to visit frequently and get to know his or her caretakers. By visiting at various times and knowing how the nursing home operates, you can accurately pinpoint when a change in your loved one’s health occurred and his or her day-to-day physical and mental health levels.
Discuss any concerns you have about your loved one’s health with the nursing home’s staff. Sometimes, changes are due to changes in medication or the progression of health conditions. In cases where health changes are due to mistreatment, having a record of interaction with the facility’s staff is an important piece of evidence to support a nursing home neglect claim.
Work with an Experienced Westchester Medical Malpractice Lawyer
If your elderly parent or another loved one currently resides in a nursing home, be his or her advocate by taking an active role in ensuring his or her safety and quality of care. Be a frequent presence in his or her life and if you suspect that he or she is not being treated properly, speak up. Discuss your concerns with your loved one’s caretakers and if necessary, discuss them with a member of our team of Bronx medical malpractice lawyers at Grant & Longworth, Attorneys at Law. Contact our firm to set up your initial consultation in our office.
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