There are many kind, compassionate nursing home institutions in the United States. They’re staffed by caring and professional nurses and caregivers who truly care about the elderly and disabled who reside within their walls. This article isn’t about those nursing homes. It’s about the nursing homes that fail to protect their residents and allow physical neglect to invade the lives of patients. In such a highly technologically advanced age with so much knowledge about how to create a nurturing nursing home environment, there’s no excuse for this kind of physical neglect to exist, and yet it does.
Personnel in nursing homes have a responsibility to take care of the daily needs of all residents. It could be something as routine as bathing a resident or as complicated as ensuring that they get adequate medical assistance and transportation to a hospital in the event of a medical emergency. Various personnel might tend to these needs, including a registered nurse, nurse, or nurse’s aid. Whoever is giving the care in the a nursing home should have been carefully investigated before they were hired. It’s the responsibility of the nursing home to make sure that background checks are performed and violent criminals aren’t hired. Sadly, even this happens sometimes.
On the subject of physical abuse, a nursing home should be vigilant about making sure that this never happens in a facility. Elderly and disabled populations are some of the most vulnerable populations in the world, and it’s because of this that bad people can so readily take advantage of, or neglect, residents. Neglecting the needs of a resident is just as appalling as an actual physical assault. Both of these occurrences in nursing homes. It’s shocking, but it’s reality.
Signs of neglect can include everything from bruises and cuts that aren’t treated by the facility to bed sores and other signs that your loved one is being neglected. Yes, it’s terrible to physically assault a nursing home resident, but sometimes outright neglecting everyday needs can be just as physically and emotionally damaging to vulnerable residents. If the neglect is bad enough, your loved one may even die from nursing home neglect.
It’s the family who must remain diligent in making sure that the nursing home your loved one resides in performs their duties in taking care of your loved one. As the general population ages, it will be harder for nursing homes to house elderly and disabled populations, but that is no excuse for allowing physical neglect in any of these facilities. Supervisors should always be on the lookout for signs of physical abuse and physical neglect.
It’s so difficult to make the decision to put your loved one under the care of a nursing home. However, it’s a decision that millions of Americans will one day have to make concerning parents or even younger family members who become disabled. You can feel more comfortable with this decision by thoroughly investigating the nursing home your loved one is going to be living in and making sure that each and every staff member is compassionate and dutiful in their occupation. Even when family members are ever watchful for signs of abuse, it’s still possible for an incident to occur where neglect happens. If this happens, don’t blame yourself, but do take the time to make sure that the nursing home is held accountable.
Keep in mind that some instances of physical neglect can even result in death. If your loved one was harmed or even lost their life because of nursing home neglect, you’re not just standing up for your loved one when you take this institution to court. You’re protecting other patients in the future from the same painful fate. No one who is disabled or elderly or even human deserves to go through this horrific neglect. Ever. There’s never an excuse for it.
In Illinois, many nursing homes operate on a profit motive, not a public health and safety motive. That doesn’t mean they don’t always allow neglect or overlook it but that money can blind people to what’s right sometimes. If it means keeping their reputation and profits intact, these nursing home operators might attempt to cover up the abuse and keep the public blind to it. Well, you should never let them do this. A human life is worth every dime on earth, even if that life is frail (especially if it’s frail). Money doesn’t change the lines between good and evil, right or wrong. Since some nursing homes just want to profit from your relative, it’s possible that they’ll turn the other way when neglect occurs, even to your loved one’s detriment.
You’re the one who protects the life and interests of your loved one. Whether it’s a parent or a grandparent, you’re the one who can seek justice for a loved one who was injured or even died because of physical neglect in a nursing home. Contact Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers to get a free consultation about this important matter. We’re on your side.