> Nursing home residents are some of the most fragile members of our society. When family members choose a nursing home for a loved one, they expect the individual to receive a high level of care and a nice standard of living.
Unfortunately, in some situations nursing home residents fall victim to negligence or, in the worst cases, abuse. If a San Francisco area nursing home failed to give your family member an acceptable level of care, or even mistreated your family member, you should not only try to get the patient out of that nursing home, but you should also contact an attorney.
There are a lot of reasons nursing homes may provide a poor level of care. The home may be managed poorly, which can result in a lack of training for its employees, which can lead to a low standard of care. The nursing home could fail to do a thorough background check into the work and criminal history of its employees, which could result in hiring low-quality, uncaring employees. In other cases, the nursing home is so severely understaffed that the home is incapable of giving its residents the care they need.
No matter what the reason for the nursing home’s failings, providing negligent care or being abusive to the elderly who are under your care in a nursing home is illegal. Negligent care or abuse can cause physical and mental harm to the already fragile residents. Although some injuries can be recovered from, others require long-term medical treatment or can even result in death. In those cases, the resident is entitled to compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and any other expenses or problems that come about as a result of the mistreatment.
There are a lot of examples of abuse that can happen to nursing home residents. Some forms of nursing home abuse include overmedication or under-medication, malnutrition or dehydrations, negligence that could result in bedsores, abusing the senior’s finances, physical or sexual abuse, and failing to properly supervise the residents (which sometimes results in allowing the senior to wander from the home).
Sadly, many nursing home residents are unable to communicate that they are being mistreated or abused. Many of the residents of nursing homes are there because they have Alzheimer’s or dementia, which can leave them unable to speak up for themselves or report the treatment they have suffered. However, there are some common signs that loved ones can look for that can be a clue that something is not quite right. The signs include frequent infections, dehydration, emotionally upset or withdrawn, bed sores, malnutrition, rapid weight loss or gain, unclean conditions, unsanitary conditions, and falls or fractures. Although some of these conditions can have natural causes and could not be the result of mistreatment, it’s important to be aware of the signs. It’s also important to be aware that although a facility may look nice, clean and safe on the surface, that doesn’t mean that abuse or neglect hasn’t occurred there.
With more and more baby boomers aging, the nursing home population is expected to substantially increase in the coming years. This could result in homes becoming overcrowded and unable to keep up with the demand, which can lead to poor treatment. At Liberty Law, Micha Star Liberty believes that nursing home residents should be treated with the respect they deserve. If you are in the San Francisco area, including Santa Clara County, Alameda County, San Mateo County, Marin County or Contra Costa County, and you suspect your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home, call Liberty Law at 415-896-1000 or 510-645-1000.
