Your elderly parent is in a nursing home because you trust that its staff will treat and take care of them in the best possible way. However, many nursing homes in the United States don’t have enough staff, and this lack of personnel can result in abuse or neglect. Nurses may not neglect the residents on purpose. Sometimes, they do this accidentally because they are too tired or stressed. Nonetheless, no matter the reason behind the neglect, you can sue for damages if your parent is a victim of this practice.
A national problem
According to official data, most nursing homes in the United States are understaffed. Nursing home managers fail to meet the required staffing levels because they want to save on costs or because their nurses quit often due to burnout. The problem with this lack of adequate staffing is that good levels of staff are related to quality. When a nursing home lacks staff, its nurses have to work overtime and take nightshifts regularly, leaving them exhausted and stressed. Unfortunately, this frustration and tiredness can cause them to neglect or abuse the residents they are supposed to take care of.
The consequences of understaffing
The lack of personnel in nursing homes has serious consequences. According to a study, the shortcomings in nursing homes have led to an increase in the residents’ health problems. As the nurses have to work excessively, and with different residents at a time, they pay less attention to each resident and fail to take care of them properly. Ultimately, this results in health problems and other negative consequences for the residents, such as:
- Painful and infected bedsores form a lack of immobility
- Untimely medication schedule
- Wrong medication
- Malnourishment
- Lack of personal hygiene
- Poor and dirty living conditions
In the worst cases, nurses take out their anger and frustration with the residents and abuse them.
Protecting your loved one
Your parent does not deserve to suffer from the consequences of the nursing home’s bad management. If they are a victim of this neglect, you can file a lawsuit against the nursing home. That way, your parent could recover damages from everything they went through. No one deserves to suffer from this unacceptable practice, and you or your parent have the power to do justice.