If you are like other residents in the San Diego area, you want to know that your aging parents are receiving the best care possible and have a good quality of life in the last years of their lives. Perhaps you attempted to care for your parent on your own, but his or her condition reached a point where you knew that more qualified medical and other care was needed, and you couldn’t provide it.
You scoured the area looking for a nursing home you believed would give your parent the care he or she needs and deserves. After you found what you thought would be a good fit, you still wondered whether the nursing home was actually meeting the standards you set at that time.
What to look for
It may be worthwhile to take the time to protect your parent’s rights and interests. The more you keep tabs on a nursing home, the more likely your parent will receive the appropriate care and treatment. When you visit, you may want to take the time to ask and answer the following questions that may indicate that something may be amiss:
- Has your parent recently lost a noticeable and significant amount of weight?
- Is your parent not moving around as well as you think he or she should?
- Does your parent exhibit signs of dehydration or malnutrition?
- Does he or she have problems with toilet issues or suffer from incontinence?
- Do you check your parent for bedsores?
- Do you have a copy of your parent’s care plan to review and refer to when you have questions?
- Does your parent have access to daily activities?
If you find anything you find disturbing or questionable, don’t be afraid to speak up. While nursing homes tend to get a bad name these days, many do care about their residents, and an oversight may be easily fixable. In some cases, the resident refuses to cooperate for some reason, perhaps due to a mental or medical condition, and you need to know that in order to help correct the problem.
What if there really is a problem?
There are certainly cases in which a nursing home is not providing residents the care they deserve. Many residents, perhaps including your parent, are afraid to speak up for themselves. In that case, you may be the only defense your parent has. If your parent’s safety or health is in jeopardy, do what you must in order to protect him or her.
Thereafter, you may want to consult with an attorney to take action against the nursing home. Not only could you receive the justice and restitution your parent needs, but you could also save other vulnerable individuals from suffering as your parent did.