Nursing home abuse is one of those things that happen more often than we hear about. With an increasing population of elderly in nursing home care, the statistics for nursing home abuse are on the rise. While there are guidelines in place to provide a minimum quality of care, there are still many cases of reported nursing home abuse every year, and many more that go unreported.
This neglect and poor quality of care can be detrimental to our senior citizens in a time when they need a high level of care the most. Illness, injury, and even death can occur as a result of nursing home abuse, poor care, and neglect.
What You Can Do To Prevent Nursing Home Abuse
There are steps you can take to ensure that your loved ones are receiving the highest level of care. When family members visit their loved ones frequently, ask a lot of questions, express their concerns, and demand a high quality of care then the odds of nursing home abuse start to decrease.
Of course, the first step is to find a high-quality nursing home for your loved one. It is important to select a facility carefully. Finding a home close to family members will make it easier for them to visit regularly. However, it is important to consider other factors as well and not base your decision on location alone.
Consider asking friends and coworkers for recommendations. It is also a good idea to check with your loved one’s doctor and maybe some colleagues as well. This will give you a good idea of what conditions are like in the nursing homes from the point of view of someone who treats patients there regularly. They may also be able to advise you if they have heard anything about nursing home abuse from any specific facilities.
You can also check to see if the nursing homes in your area are regulated and overseen by a board or supervisor who may be able to offer their insight to you about cases of nursing home abuse and statistics or other information from each of the centers you are researching.
If you have any questions about nursing home abuse or think your loved one may be a victim of nursing home abuse, please call us at Schulman, Roth and Associates.
How to Spot Neglect and Nursing Home Abuse