One major problem with nursing homes in the United States is that they tend to be understaffed. There are many different reasons for this, including a high turnover rate and relatively low wages. But, reports claim that 94% of nursing homes experience understaffing, so you can see that it is a widespread problem.
In some cases, these understaffing issues can lead to nursing home neglect. If you see that your loved one is being neglected, you may want to take legal action, and you may blame the staff members for not providing the right level of care. But if understaffing is a problem at the facility, then you may also want to consider taking legal action against the person who owns and operates the nursing home.
What problems does understaffing cause?
One of the biggest problems that understaffing can cause is just that workers can’t respond quickly. Elderly residents may fall, suffer from medical emergencies, need assistance going to the bathroom and much more. In their rooms, they will typically have a call button or pull cord signal that they can use to alert the staff.
But if there are not enough people on staff, then there is a good chance no one will be in the office when that signal comes in. Even if they are, one staff member could get three different signals for assistance at the same time. They may work as hard and fast as they can, but they simply cannot meet the needs of all three residents at once.
Your elderly loved one deserves a safe and healthy living situation. If they are being neglected, be sure you know what legal steps you can take.
