Many elderly residents of Indiana require 24-hour care in a nursing home or assisted living facility. These vulnerable patients rely completely on their caregivers, which can put them in a precarious situation. If caregivers are negligent, elderly people can suffer in many different ways.
Negligent care
Negligent care in a nursing home setting can take a lot of different forms. Often, nursing home neglect happens passively when residents are not provided with the care they need. Leaving a needy patient alone for too many hours at a time can be incredibly dangerous because the patient may fall, develop bedsores or suffer from dehydration.
Caregivers in nursing homes can also be guilty of abuse if they neglect a resident’s need for:
• Good nutrition
• Medications
• Proper hygiene
• Housekeeping
• Mobility
• Social and emotional stimulation
Harm from other residents
One form of nursing home neglect that often goes unreported is harm from other residents. Nursing home patients could be living with other residents who have dementia or psychological issues. When violence occurs between nursing home patients, it could be because the nursing home staff did not monitor patients properly.
Physical and emotional abuse from staff
While a lot of nursing home abuse can be blamed on understaffing, outright physical and emotional abuse from caregivers could happen even in a well-staffed facility. Nursing homes have a responsibility to ensure that they perform background checks on employees and fire employees who are abusive.
Noticing and reporting nursing home neglect
Nursing home patients can’t always communicate what’s going on with their care. However, when family members notice negative changes in behavior or unexplained injuries, they should investigate these anomalies. If nursing home abuse is suspected, it is crucial to report it to authorities so that it doesn’t continue.