The health of an older adult tends to change as they age. For example, immune system function tends to decline later in life. Older adults may take longer to heal from injuries than they did when they were younger. They may also become more susceptible to infectious diseases. Age also frequently comes with a variety of functional limitations and even cognitive decline in some cases.
Families often choose to move their loved ones into nursing homes because they worry about their loved one’s risk of injury or illness. Unfortunately, neglect and abuse are both relatively common in nursing homes despite beds costing thousands of dollars per month. There is inadequate oversight of the industry in general, which puts residents at risk.
Families may need to watch carefully for injuries and illnesses that may indicate neglect at a facility. The following are some of the medical conditions associated with nursing home neglect.
Fall injuries
Numerous factors contribute to an older adult’s risk of a fall. People often experience issues with their sense of equilibrium as they grow older. Combine that with a changing center of gravity, and the risk of a fall is quite high. Older adults who don’t receive timely support from nursing home workers may put themselves in dangerous situations when they need food or to use the bathroom. Severe and repeated falls can be a sign of nursing home neglect.
Bedsores
If there is one medical condition that people associate with nursing home life, it may be bedsores or pressure ulcers. These wounds develop on people who spend most of their time in a chair or in bed. The constant pressure of gravity on certain body parts mainly to inflammation of the skin. Left unaddressed, those sores may break through the skin and may damage the tissue underneath. Bedsores can lead to severe infections and chronic pain when nursing homes do not diagnose and treat them quickly.
Injuries from insects
A large number of people living in a small space is the perfect environment for an infestation. When nursing home workers are not proactive about keeping a space and its residents clean, there may be serious risk of infestations spreading rapidly through the facility. Lice, bed bugs and scabies are all examples of pests that can cause small but painful wounds on individual nursing home residents. In extreme cases, they can cause secondary infections with life-threatening consequences.
Family members who identify injuries related to potential nursing home neglect may need to take immediate action. Documenting the injuries and communicating with professionals at the facility might lead to an improvement of circumstances. Other times, legal action may be necessary. If necessary, a lawsuit alleging nursing home neglect can potentially create consequences for the facility at issue and provide compensation for the people harmed by the poor standard of care.