Uncover What Your Nursing Home Would Rather Keep Secret: Whether they’re ongoing issues or past deficiencies, nursing homes would rather keep problems like nursing home malpractice or abuse and neglect under wraps. But nothing should be kept secret from residents and their loved ones.
A recent U.S. News and Health Report article highlights common problem areas and care concerns about which American nursing homes would prefer not to be transparent. When choosing a nursing home, it’s important that potential residents and/or their family members know what to look for in uncovering deficiencies within a prospective facility. Common issues covered in the article include the following:
- Staffing Issues-Staffing shortages, high staff turnover, poor ratio of staff to residents, and too few registered nurses (RNs) are all types of nursing home staffing issues. Each of these staffing issues bring their own challenges, but every one of them has a negative impact on the care and health of nursing home residents—leading to an uptick in pressure ulcers, hospitalizations, and urinary tract infections—and amount to nursing home malpractice.
- Insufficient Infection Control-Nursing homes that fail to defend against nursing home infections can subject frail residents to the spread of a range of illnesses, including those caused by certain drug-resistant bacteria , which is the kind of neglect that resembles nursing home malpractice. The spread of COVID in nursing homes during the pandemic—often due to the lack of proper infection control supplies—resulted in widespread nursing home deaths, which in some cases required the involvement of a wrongful death attorney.
- Recurrent Nursing Home Complaints-According to the article, some of the most frequent repeat complaints within single nursing homes involve medication errors, improper evictions, and various instances of nursing home neglect, all of which can indicate a home has committed nursing home malpractice.
- Antipsychotic Drug Use–Some nursing homes improperly treat hard-to-manage dementia or Alzheimer’s patients with antipsychotic drugs indicated for residents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This extreme sort of medication error equals nursing home malpractice, and in the event these drugs lead to the death of a resident, a wrongful death attorney needs to be consulted.
- Ambiguous Nursing Home Ownership–Complicated nursing home ownership obscures who is ultimately responsible for promoting quality care and preventing nursing home malpractice.
Any of the above concerns may apply to the nursing home you’re considering for yourself or your loved one. Whether they are present issues or deficiencies from the past, the homes will not volunteer their struggles to prospective residents. It is therefore very important to do some research prior to choosing a nursing home, allowing you to uncover what your nursing home would rather keep secret. You can view a home’s star rating or contact your state department of health to gain more information about a prospective home. It is also good to visit any home you’re considering. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And if you have any concerns nursing home abuse and neglect, don’t wait to contact a nursing home malpractice attorney.
Protecting Your Loved One from Gross Negligence, Elder Abuse, and Wrongful Death
As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting for the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA an NJ nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home, should feel safe and sufficiently cared for and not need to worry about being subjected to nursing home abuse/neglect. Brian Murphy’s extensive experience working as a wrongful death attorney and fighting negligent nursing homes demonstrates his commitment to holding nursing homes responsible for nursing home malpractice. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.
