Chicago Inadequate Staffing in Nursing Home Attorney

Skilled Lawyer for Nursing Home Injuries Caused by Staff Shortages in Chicago, IL

Nursing home residents rely on the caregivers and other staff that work there to provide for their most basic needs and ensure a decent quality of life. In recent years, however, staffing shortages have severely diminished the level of care residents receive. Nursing homes have done little to address this problem, and with an increasingly aging population, it is only going to grow worse for the foreseeable future.

At Schwartz Injury Law, we understand the outrage families feel when they entrust their aging family member to a nursing facility, only to find out that their loved one was neglected or abused because the facility did not have the proper staffing levels, and/or the staff was poorly trained. We have in-depth knowledge of this area of the law, and our experience has shown us that the nursing home neglect and abuse that happens in Chicago area facilities is largely due to inadequate staffing. When this occurs, we fight hard to hold those responsible fully accountable, not only for victims and their families, but also so nursing homes will take more serious steps to deal with this problem.

Inadequate Staffing in Illinois Nursing Homes

Staffing shortages are prevalent in nursing facilities. A large percentage do not have the required level of staff to properly care for residents. Inadequate pay and extremely high turnover rates are major contributors to this problem. Staffing shortages tend to be even greater on nights, weekends, holidays, and other times when there are a lot of call-offs and it is difficult to find someone to cover an open shift.

Inadequate staffing can lead to numerous types of neglect and abuse in nursing homes, such as:

• Bed sores
• Infections
• Falls
• Fractures
• Malnutrition and dehydration
• Choking
• Burns
• Medication errors
• Lack of medical care
• Wandering and elopement

Inadequate staffing often results in another very dangerous and closely related problem: poor quality staff. Many nursing homes are so short-staffed that they fail to perform thorough background checks on prospective employees. Because of this and other questionable hiring practices, patients are at greater risk of becoming victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and other forms of elder abuse.

Speak with a Skilled Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

At Schwartz Injury Law, we have seen almost every issue that may arise in a nursing home setting, and we know that many of these issues are directly attributable to inadequate staffing. If you or someone close to you has suffered because of insufficient or poorly trained nursing home staff, we are here to help. Contact us today at 312-535-4625 to schedule a free case evaluation. We serve clients in Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Winnebago County, and throughout Illinois.