Signs of Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility NeglecT

Signs of Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility NeglecT

Putting a loved one in a nursing home or in an assisted living facility, is a very difficult decision. You will be entrusting the care of your loved one to a stranger.  To me that is very concerning!

While you may believe that the ownership or management of the facility are great people, they still employ many others to do their work for them. In many cases the abuse and neglect directed towards the elderly are by the people you would least expect. Many nursing homes are wonderful, and the neglect/abuse may be accidental.  However, there are still many instances when a loved one has been neglected or abused.

Understanding the difference between abuse and neglect goes a long way. Abuse is more evident; bruising, bleeding, swelling, etc. Whereas neglect is the result of not providing or maintaining a safe environment to allow the individual to live a safe life.

Neglect is not as easy to detect as abuse.  There are some signs to consider. Meals being withheld or not provided is an area of neglect. Make sure that your loved one is enjoying meals and provided proper nourishment day in and day out.  Monitoring the every day health and welfare of the resident is critical.

Another area of neglect is when your loved one is constantly ill.  Minor infections, ongoing fever and rashes can suggest ongoing neglect.  Staff must maintain a clean and healthy environment for the benefit of its residents.  Less than that is not acceptable.   

Proper cleanliness of the living area as well as the cleanliness of the resident is also a factor that if not attended to properly may be a form of neglect. This type of situation may also lead to health problems that can be devastating to any resident who is compromised by other physical impairments.

You are the expert concerning your loved ones’ behaviors. You know and understand their tendencies and if there is something not right about the way they are behaving, you would be the first to know. If there is a hint of emotional issues impacting behavior, this may very well be associated with neglect (not always the case).

We can never be too cautious when it comes to making sure our loved ones are being taken care of properly. It is very important that your loved ones can live a good and healthy life while in a nursing or assisted living facility. If you believe that your loved one is being abused or neglected, we encourage you to reach out to us directly to further investigate. Something important to remember, not all nursing homes neglect and/or abuse their residents.  Unfortunately, there are some bad actors.    

Call KasunicLaw today at 440.946.9469 if you have questions regarding nursing home or assisted living facility abuse/neglect.