The number of abuse cases within nursing homes has become increasingly alarming. Every year, more long-term care facilities are getting cited for abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, with the increase of elder population, especially with the baby boomers aging, the need for nursing homes will always be in high demand. With this demand, long-term care facilities must adapt and prepare their nursing home staff members for the amount of work that will be required. Nursing homes need to have a good amount of staff members to be able to care for all of the resident’s needs.
The team of abuse and neglect lawyers have dealt with a number of different abuse cases committed by these facilities. There tend to be the same ones that happen more than others. Below will be listed the most common ones that can demonstrate that abuse and neglect are happening.
Abuses That Have Been Seen in Long-Term Care Facilities
- Wrongful Death Cases: A wrongful death in a nursing home can happen due to many circumstances. The elder person may not have been fed because they were being neglected or they might not have received the medical care that they needed. When a death is unexplained, the family members need to investigate the cause of it. A wrongful death could have been caused by the neglect or abuse of the Nursing Home.
- Slip and Fall Cases: Although slip and falls are quite common in the elder population, recurrent falls can be an indicator that the resident is not properly being cared for and supervised. Once a resident has fallen, the nursing home needs to take preventative measures so that they do not keep on falling.
- Sexual Abuse Cases: Sexual abuse cases do occur in long-term care facilities. The nursing home must supervise anyone who comes in and out of the premises and must perform a background check on every employee that they have hired. If a resident is sexually abused, the Nursing Home can be responsible for the damages.
- Poor Hygiene Cases: Poor hygiene is definitely an indication that the resident is being neglected. Poor hygiene can be attributed to under-staffing. The nursing home staff members do not have the time to properly care for every resident. The resident may be left in the same clothes for days and not bathed. They might have soiled their undergarments and have not been changed. Poor hygiene can be seen in many ways.
- Medical Error Cases: Almost every resident in a long-term care facility will require medication. While every resident requires different types of medications, the nursing home staff must know how much to give them and through what means it must be taken.
- Sepsis: Sepsis is an infection that could be blamed on the lack of care towards the residents. Sepsis is an infection that can be prevented if everything is kept sanitized. If sepsis is not treated appropriately and in a timely manner, it can be deadly.
Stopping Long-Term Care Facility Abuse
Neglect and abuse have become two factors that have caused many injuries and deaths within nursing home facilities. Percy Martinez law firm has a team of experienced abuse and neglect lawyers that represent residents and their families. No facility should be operating with inadequate staffing. Contact us now for a free case evaluation.