Nursing home neglect is more common than many people realize, and it can have serious ramifications for the victims. Elderly victims can suffer major injuries, see their existing conditions get worse or even pass away due to neglect.
In some cases, this is because staff members are uncaring, poorly trained or just unwilling to provide the level of care that is needed. Don’t always assume this is why it’s happening, though. The true issue could be that the staff is working as hard as they can to provide proper care — but they just do not have enough workers to keep up.
The role of understaffing in nursing home neglect
Some reports have uncovered the massive amounts of understaffing that happen in nursing homes. If the residents need twice as many workers to really meet their needs, there is just no way that those who are on the clock can cover that all the time. They’re going to neglect some residents out of necessity as they try to rush from one task to the next.
The blame for something like this may fall on workers who called in or took unexpected time off, but it usually means that the company itself did not hire enough employees. This is a common cost-cutting measure. But it’s unfair to the residents for the owners to put profit ahead of the well-being of those living in the home.
What options do you have if your loved one was neglected?
You may have identified signs of neglect, such as dehydration, bedsores, unexplained injuries and the like. If your loved one is suffering, you need to know what legal steps you can take to stop the neglect from happening again and get your loved one the compensation they deserve.