When families decide to leave their elderly loved ones’ care to a nursing home, they trust that the facility has well-trained staff to ensure their residents receive the care and attention they need.
Unfortunately, some nursing home administrators fail to complete background checks on their staff and provide adequate training to care for the residents. This staff incompetency can lead to neglect and negligence, causing serious physical, mental and emotional health consequences to residents.
How does inadequate training result in negligence?
When nursing home administrators fail to provide sufficient training, their staff members may:
- Mishandle medical equipment
- Improperly administer medications
- Fail to respond to medical emergencies
- Fail to recognize signs of distress in residents
- Fail to identify and report signs of abuse or neglect
- Fail to provide adequate personal care, such as assistance with feeding and bathing
- Fail to follow proper procedures to prevent the spread of infections
Consequently, these acts and oversights expose residents to harm, such as medication errors, falls, bedsores, malnutrition and dehydration.
How can you protect your loved one?
Before leaving your loved one in the care of a nursing home, thoroughly inspect the facility and discuss with the administrators how they manage and operate the nursing home. Through this process, you can gauge whether they are capable to provide the care your loved one needs.
If you suspect that your loved one’s nursing home is providing them inadequate care due to poorly trained staff, there are options you can explore, such as reporting your concerns to the appropriate authorities, such as local health departments or regulatory agencies overseeing long-term care facilities. Legal action may also be an option if your loved one suffered injuries or death by nursing home negligence.
