One of the biggest contributing factors to nursing home neglect is understaffing. Sometimes, facilities are left understaffed because they simply can’t find enough people to hire due to turnover, low pay, and the stress associated with the job.
In other instances, though, nursing homes forego proper staffing to cut costs.
Either way, if you or a loved one are in an understaffed nursing home, then the risk of negligence is heightened.
How does understaffing increase the risk of nursing home neglect?
It takes a lot of people to provide adequate care to nursing home residents. Therefore, when a facility is understaffed, residents are more likely to experience the following:
- Bedsores from not being repositioned often enough.
- Falls when they’re forced to walk to the bathroom by themselves despite their mobility issues.
- Missed medications that are necessary to treat their conditions and keep them healthy.
- Abuse perpetrated upon them by angry, frustrated, and overworked staff.
- Inadequate nutrition.
- Improper care in regard to hygiene.
As you can see, there’s a lot that can go wrong when a nursing home is understaffed. It’s a good idea, then, to keep tabs on the staffing levels at your or your loved one’s facility so that you can take action to move if doing so is the best way to ensure safety.
What if you’ve already been injured by nursing home neglect?
If you’ve already been hurt, then you should consider taking legal action based on the nursing home neglect to which you or your loved one has been subjected. Doing so may lead to accountability, which can help you feel like justice has been served, and the recovery of much needed compensation. Taking legal action may be your only way to secure the financial resources you need to spur your recovery forward.
So, if you think that you or a loved one has been hurt by nursing home negligence, then now is the time to take action build your case. You can start by familiarizing yourself on the laws and regulations on nursing home staffing to see if any of them have been violated.