Tips for Spotting Nursing Home Neglect
Caring for elderly or disabled loved ones is an extremely difficult job. If the senior requires more care than you can provide it may be time to check out your local area nursing homes. This is often a frightening prospect because nursing home horror stories abound.
Sadly, if you are not diligently looking out for your family members the elderly and disabled can easily be taken advantage of by the individuals working at or running the nursing home. Nursing home neglect is a serious issue that is all too often ignored. However, our nation’s elderly and disabled population are our most vulnerable and valuable citizens.
If your loved ones are living at a nursing home, you must be aware of the signs of nursing home neglect in order to make sure they are properly protected. You should contact a NY Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer immediately if you notice anything suspicious.
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect involves the failure to properly and completely perform the caretaking obligations a nursing home has agreed to undertake by the admission of a person. The signs of nursing home neglect are relatively obvious if you know what to look for. Some of the typical signs of neglect that you should be on the lookout for include:
- Other unattended medical needs;
- Bedsores on the patient’s body may indicate that your loved one is not being removed from the bed regularly;
- Unexplained broken bones, sprains or other bodily injuries;
- Unusual weight loss would indicate that your loved one is not being provided a balanced, square meal, 3 times a day; and
- Tense or strained relationships and interactions with the nursing home staff;
What Should I Do About Nursing Home Neglect?
There is much that you can do if you have observed any of the above symptoms of nursing home neglect. You should first take your loved one to an outside physician in order to conduct a complete diagnosis to determine if neglect has in fact occurred. If neglect is proven you should remove your loved one from the home as soon as is possible. Contact your local Adult Protective Services agency in order to report your nursing home and specific staff for conducting nursing home neglect. Report the neglect to the Eldercare Locator, which is run by the U.S. Administration on Aging. You should also report the nursing home to the Better Business Bureau so that other families are warned about the nursing home neglect.
How to Pick a Nursing Home You Can Trust
The first step in picking the right nursing home for your loved one is to determine the amount of care that is required. Consult with your loved ones’ physician in order to determine if you are looking for a nursing home that provides simply room and board, some supervision and other assisted living, as opposed to more intense nursing homes with 24 hours a day medical care.
The second step involves heavily researching any potential homes before deciding. Ask for references from physicians, friends, and family about the experiences that they have had with local area nursing homes. Once you’ve found a couple of options you should show up at least once unannounced so that you can see how the nursing home is run when the staff believes there are no prying eyes. You should also check with the Better Business Bureau in order to see if any abuse or neglect grievances/complaints have been filed against the home.
Contact a Trusted New York Personal Injury Attorney
Contact the Brooklyn personal injury attorneys at Peters, Berger, Koshel & Goldberg, P.C. in Brooklyn, New York at 718-596-7800 or 1-800-836-7801 if you suspect that your loved one may be a victim of nursing home neglect. The Law Office is located at 26 Court Street Suite 2803 in Brooklyn, NY.