Do you suspect your loved one’s nursing home might be unsafe? Are you worried about an upcoming move?
We handle many nursing home neglect injuries at our law firm, and there is often a pattern. With this in mind, we have put together a short checklist that should help you take positive action against abuse.
Make regular visits
Regular visits would provide some continuity for your loved ones, but this habit also provides you with a current sense of mood, health and so on. Tracking changes could help you get an early warning for nursing home abuse.
These observations are more important than you may expect. Many nursing home residents are either unable to or unwilling to report abuse. Perhaps your elders lack communication ability, or they might feel like their troubles would only burden you. It could be up to you to put the pieces together.
Inspect the facilities
When you go to visit, take a look around. Here are some of the warning signs that your loved one’s home might not be safe:
- Obstructed hallways
- Liquids, cords or other floor hazards
- Equipment in need of repair
- Lax security
Meet the staff
Getting to know staff members could help. You could get a sense of the type of people the facility employs. Do they love their jobs? Do they seem attentive and observant?
Over time, you could also track staffing changes. The nursing home industry has relatively high staff turnover, so you could probably expect to see some new faces every once in a while. However, extreme levels of turnover tends to correlate with lower quality service.
Suspecting that you have a problem is only the beginning of the process. The next steps could include investigation, negotiation or even legal action. The sooner this begins, the less likely it is that your loved one will suffer unnecessarily.