Nursing home negligence is a serious issue at nursing facilities in Illinois and across the United States. It usually occurs when a resident does not receive quality care and comfortable living conditions resulting in not only significant physical damage but also deterioration of psychological health. Thus, it is highly important to learn about the signs of negligence in a nursing home to ensure the wellbeing of your loved ones. If you find any evidence of negligence, you can initiate a legal claim by hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Signs of Nursing Home Negligence
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Poor personal hygiene – Nurses and other stuff are responsible to assist the residents with their basic personal hygiene. For instance, they need support with brushing their teeth, bathing, clipping their nails, and other tasks. When a resident is neglected, they attempt to carry out these tasks by themselves and often they are unable to perform them correctly, which results in poor personal hygiene.
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Poor living conditions – Nursing homes are obligated to provide a clean and safe environment to their residents. Federal law contains comprehensive guidelines that all nursing home facilities should adhere to ensure that residents are provided with a sanitary living condition. Neglecting these duties may potentially result in sickness and development of health-related issues, thus you must ensure that your loved one has clean bedding, clothing, and access to clean bathrooms.
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Lack of nutrition or dehydration – Neglect can also result in physical issues such as dehydration or malnutrition. The lack of oversight or individualize care, mainly due to inadequate or incompetent staff may lead to such physical problems. Though the resident’s medical condition must also be taken into consideration when considering their physical health.
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Lack of mobility – Nursing homes should ensure that the residents remain active, either by moving around or through daily exercise. Even a mere walking program can provide a multitude of health benefits such as improved blood circulation, reduced spasms, and contractures, and increased balance, to name a few. A lack of mobility means that a person is left sedentary for an extended period of time, which may possibly result in bed sores or other infections.
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Wounds or Injuries – If a resident has sustained injuries such as bruises or wounds, it indicates that they may have been subjected to abuse or neglect in the nursing home. It is not necessary that a nurse or other staff deliberately caused them any harm, but not providing assistance or neglecting their respective duties may also lead to such injuries, which can have a severe impact on their health, especially due to the old age.
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Deteriorating Psychological Health – If a resident shows signs or symptoms which indicate a decline in their emotional or psychological health, it is critical to address these issues on a priority basis. They might be suffering from depression, anxiety, or other similar conditions which may cause them to neglect themselves. For instance, they refuse to eat, take medicine, or perform basic hygiene.
It can be highly beneficial for your case to procure services of a competent personal injury lawyer as they will devise a strong case against the nursing home to seek rightful compensation for the sufferings of your loved one. Even if you just have a suspicion that a nursing home is not offering the level of care that a reasonable resident might expect, it can be in your best interests to have a personal injury lawyer to navigate you through the legal process to take any action.
If you believe that your loved one is being mistreated in a nursing home or want to learn more about nursing home negligence or how to pursue a legal claim, contact The Law Offices of Robert T. Edens today at (847) 395-2200 to schedule a free consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer.
As disturbing it may be for you to imagine, but every day, a sizable segment of the elderly population in nursing homes is neglected, abused, or victimized in one form or the other. 