Reasons Nursing Homes Fail To Care For The Elderly
An older person may find himself confined to a nursing home at the end of his life. Most nursing homes employ caring nurses and staff who see to the needs of the residents and make sure they are treated well. Governments and the nursing home industry have taking many steps to prevent abuse of their patients, but abuse still does occur. Most of the time the abuse occurs because of neglect or overworked staff.
Abuse that Occurs Because of Neglect
Although the horrible mistreatment of certain nursing homes made headline news in the 1980s, there is a different situation today. Such nursing homes are often found quickly, exposed to the public and shut down with extreme prejudice. The increased numbers of the Elderly along with an increased demand for nurses has made it likely that a person who needs care may go without it until it is too late. Adequate staffing along with making sure the staff adheres to procedures can help fix this problem. Nursing homes may need to rework their schedules or hire more staff if they spot too many mistakes because of worker fatigue.
More Open Forms of Abuse
Physical abuse of the elderly in American nursing homes is not as common as it once was, but it still occurs. Often, it happens when a person gets stressed out or a nursing home tries to make inappropriate budget cuts. The first solution is easy to deal with. Nursing homes screen workers to spot people who might not make good psychological candidates for the job. The second is often dealt with through members of the public reporting the facility to the appropriate agency. If a person spots abuse and does not know the correct agency to contact, he can call 800-255-5070 to get help for the nursing home’s residents.