Nursing Home Staffing Issues Can Lead to Life-Threatening Neglect and Abuse Against Residents

 Posted on September 21, 2020 in Nursing Home Abuse

If you have ever moved your parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other loved one into a nursing home facility, you know just how tough it can be. Leaving a family member in the care of a nursing home means trusting the staff at the facility to provide your loved one with the compassionate daily care and medical attention he or she needs. The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act and other legislation requires nursing homes to provide a certain degree of quality medical and basic needs care. Unfortunately, staffing issues often lead to substandard care, neglect, and even abuse.

Understaffing Can Lead to Insufficient Supervision and Other Dangerous Neglect

One issue that Illinois nursing homes and facilities across the country have dealt with for years is understaffing. Numerous studies have shown that many nursing homes are chronically understaffed. A study that analyzed over 14,000 nursing homes showed that staffing also fluctuated dramatically from day-to-day. When there are not enough staff to adequately supervise residents, the risk of dangerous wandering and elopement increases substantially. Understaffing may also lead to missed medication, dehydration, malnutrition, bedsores, and a host of other problems.

Inadequate Staff Training Can Cause Needless Suffering

Another issue in many nursing homes is inadequate staff training. A nursing home staff member needs to know how to safely move residents from their beds to their wheelchairs, dispense medication, help residents who have trouble eating or toileting, and much more. When staff are not properly trained, they may make mistakes that lead to significant resident injury or even death. The families of residents who are injured or killed as a result of insufficient staff training or understaffing may bring personal injury claims or wrongful death lawsuits against the facility.

Negligent Hiring Practices Put Residents in Danger

Nursing home facilities have a duty to ensure that the staff they hire to look after the vulnerable residents in their care are qualified for the job. They must also ensure that staff members do not have a history of violence or abuse. Unfortunately, some nursing homes skip crucial steps in the vetting process in order to speed up hiring. Nursing homes that do not conduct criminal background checks or are otherwise negligent in the hiring process put residents at risk of intentional emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Contact a Chicago, Illinois Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer

Nursing homes should be places of compassion and refuge. Sadly, nursing home staffing issues can lead to resident injury or even death. If your loved one was mistreated by a negligent nursing home, contact a Cook County nursing home injury attorney from Schwartz Injury Law. Call us at 312-535-4625 today and schedule a free consultation to discuss your concerns.

Sources:

https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/info-2018/nursing-homes-staffing-quality-care.html

https://theconsumervoice.org/uploads/files/issues/Consensus_Statement_Staffing.pdf