Nursing Home Neglect @Law

Nursing home neglect is shockingly prevalent in the United States—a survey taken in 2000 showed that 95% of nursing home residents claimed to have been neglected or witnessed the neglect of another resident. When caregivers fail to provide the support nursing home residents need and deserve, our affilated nursing home neglect attorneys take swift action.

Common Signs of Nursing Home Neglect

As nursing home neglect lawyers, our affiliated attorneys have seen that the signs of neglect are often subtle at first and family members may not be aware of a loved one's neglect until it has become severe or life-threatening. If you have made the difficult decision to entrust someone you love into the care of a nursing home, it is important that you remain alert to the most common forms of nursing home neglect and their warning signs.

Bedsores

Bedsores, also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers, are a result of unrelieved pressure on the skin. They may occur due to a bandage left in place too long, when diapers do not fit properly or are not changed frequently enough, or, most commonly, when a person remains too long in the same position. In many cases, bedsores are a result of a person lying in the same position in a bed for so long that skin subjected to constant pressure begins to break down.

Federal regulations require that nursing home patients are examined for bedsores and regularly repositioned or given cushions or pillows to reduce pressure on their skin. Additionally, bedsores must be properly addressed and treated to prevent them from advancing and to promote healing.

There are four stages of bedsores, and they can range in appearance from red marks to blisters, open wounds, craters, and even black or dead skin or tissue. It is very rare that a stage IV bedsore is not a result of neglect.

Malnutrition or Dehydration

It is the duty of nursing homes to provide proper nutrition to residents and to ensure that they have a balanced diet complete with the necessary vitamins and nutrients to maintain their health. This includes proper portion control and the provision of food which is palatable and in accord with the residents' personal eating habits, including vegetarian and Kosher diets. Additionally, caregivers must make sure that nursing home residents with dental issues are able to eat without pain and that residents with dementia are eating when they should. In some cases, this requires manually feeding residents or using a feeding tube or IV. Residents must also be given sufficient fluids and encouraged to remain hydrated by any means.

Possible signs of dietary nursing home neglect include:

• Frequent empty water pitchers
• Complaints of thirst or hunger
• Cracks around the mouth
• Wounds that don't heal properly
• Paleness
• Swelling of the limbs
• Reduced skin elasticity
• Weight loss
• Thinning hair or hair loss
• Confusion in patients without a diagnosis or dementia
• Dry mouth
• Dark urine
• Fever
• Weakness
• Vomiting or diarrhea

Wandering

Recent data from the National Center on Elder Abuse show that roughly 5.1 million Americans over the age of 65 suffer from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. Many of these individuals are prone to wandering, also known as elopement. This is especially dangerous because people with dementia may not be equipped to make safe decisions, and if they are allowed to wander out of their nursing homes or away from caregivers the results can be catastrophic. Patients with impaired memory or cognition need to be constantly monitored, and if a caregiver or nursing home fails to do this they are guilty of neglect.

Falls

If a nursing home resident falls, it is not an automatic sign of neglect. Many elderly people have difficulty maintaining their balance. However, it is the duty of nursing homes and their staff to properly assess all residents to determine whether they may be at a greater risk of falling and to take proper precautions to prevent falls. If a resident is known to be a "fall risk", that person's bed may be fitted with an alarm to alert staff when he or she attempts to get up alone. He or she should be closely monitored, and should be assisted when walking (alone or with a device such as a cane or walker) to reduce the risk of a fall. In elderly patients with brittle bones, a fall may result in a broken bone such as a hip, head injury, or even death.

Medication Errors

Many nursing homes are understaffed and it may be difficult for caregivers to properly monitor residents' prescriptions. However, there is no excuse for medication errors in nursing homes, which may lead to serious injury or even wrongful death.

Contact a Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer

If you believe that someone you love is not receiving the proper standard of care in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you must take action to rectify the situation immediately. Not only will you stop the neglect of your loved one and other residents, but you may also be able to recover compensation which will enable you to provide the very best care in the future. To learn what steps you can take, pleasecontact or call 1-866-251-0808 our affiliated nursing home neglect lawyers today.