Today, more than 1.5 million Americans live in our nation’s 17,000 nursing homes. Despite federal and state laws intended to safeguard residents, abuse and neglect in nursing homes is widespread. The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that at least 1 in 20 nursing home patients has been the victim of negligence or abuse. The Center also found that 57% of nurses’ aides in long-term care facilities admitted to having witnessed, and even participated in, acts of negligence or abuse. Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nursing home negligence played a role in the deaths of nearly 14,000 nursing home patients between 1999 and 2002.
The frequency of intentional abuse in nursing homes is too high, but the real culprit behind the large number of nursing home injuries and deaths is unintended negligence. Most nursing homes are operated by corporations who are in business to make a profit. Unfortunately, they may try to maximize their profit at the expense of the residents’ health and safety. Almost universally, nursing facilities are understaffed and the staff members are poorly trained. Studies show that more than half of nursing homes are below the suggested levels for nurses’ aide staffing, and 1 in 4 are below the suggested staffing levels for all employees. Nurses’ aides provide most of the needed care, yet they are the lowest paid and least trained staff members. Low pay and work overload often result in poor morale, high absenteeism, and high turnover rates. The residents pay the price in the form of poor care.
As a nursing home resident or the family member of a resident, you can help prevent nursing home abuse and neglect. Below are a few steps that should be taken:
1. Know Your Rights: Understand what rights you have as a nursing home resident or family member of a resident. Check Federal and State Laws.
2. Review the Nursing Home’s Report Card: Check with Nursing Home Compare, the official U.S. Government site for people with Medicare.
3. Visit the Nursing Home: Make an unannounced visit to the nursing home and check to see how clean the facility is, are the residents engaged in activities, does the air smell of feces or urine?
4. If you or a family member has suffered a significant injury, and if you believe it was the result of abuse or negligent care, contact a lawyer.
Call us. We will discuss with you the problems that have occurred concerning your nursing home resident. If we think there is a chance we can help you, we will obtain the necessary records and investigate the claim. Then, you decide whether to hire us and go forward with a case. We are paid on the basis of a contingent fee; if there is no recovery, there is no fee.
