Why Does Nursing Home Abuse Happen?
No one ever thinks when they put a loved one into a nursing home that they would be the victim of nursing home abuse. Sadly, nursing home abuse happens in nursing homes more often than you would like to believe. But many people often ask why this happens. When you are the family member of a victim, you want to get to the bottom of why the abuse happened. The following are some potential reasons why abuse occurs in nursing homes:
Poor Training
All staff members working in a nursing home should require proper training on how to take care of elderly residents. Part of the training should include how to care for residents with varying health issues, different skill levels, and various personalities. When staff members do not receive the necessary training, it can result in a failure of care and cause harm to those they are caring for. Those in charge of the nursing home staff must ensure there are proper protocols in place to protect the residents while also making sure all staff members receive the proper training needed to make sure all residents are safe.
Not Enough Staff
Another reason nursing abuse can happen is due to a lack of staff members. When there are not enough people available to care for residents, oversights can happen. Some oversights can result in harm to the residents. Understaffing can also result in neglect of the residents, which can be devastating. Neglect is one of the most common forms of nursing home abuse and can cause harm that could have been prevented had there been enough staff.
Intentional Harm
You never want to think that someone working in a nursing home would intentionally cause harm to the residents. Sadly, there are some people who would intentionally hurt someone they are caring for. There is absolutely no reason why this should happen and is a major problem if evidence shows there was intentional malice committed against a nursing home resident. Once you have evidence of intentional harm committed against your loved one in a nursing home, you have cause for both a criminal case as well as a civil case against the nursing home.
If your elderly loved one suffered any form of abuse in a nursing home, make sure you contact an attorney right away. You need to learn more about your rights as well as the rights of your loved one.
Contact a nursing home litigation lawyer to learn more.