Roughly 1.3 million Americans currently live in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Although every facility provides different levels of care, the state of New York expects every senior living community to render basic living assistance to residents. Watching out for these signs of elder abuse can stop this despicable act in its tracks.
Neglecting basic living needs
Grooming, bathing, clothing and eating all fall under the wide umbrella of basic living needs. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities widely provide hands-on assistance with these daily living tasks.
Your loved ones should have their clothes washed and rooms cleaned regularly. If they need help with changing clothes, they should also receive daily assistance with this.
Failure to provide medication
Nursing home abuse and neglect don’t always take the form of how most people define abuse. Because this type of neglect isn’t as overt as physical or sexual abuse, it’s also much harder to detect.
A central function of every nursing home is to administer prescribed medications to residents. Missing doses of some medications might not result in noticeable differences. Other medications, however, can cause severe discomfort if not taken regularly.
One way to improve adherence to medication dosing schedules is by requiring two nurses to certify that they’ve properly administered medications. This measure makes internal controls stronger, which prevents individual nurses or care attendants from breaking dosing schedules.
Not providing necessary accommodations
Many seniors struggle to walk on their own. Nursing homes often advertise that they offer assistance with ambulation by providing hands-on assistance and important mobility aids such as walkers, canes and wheelchairs.
When checking in on your loved ones, always make sure they have these mobility aids nearby. These aids should permanently belong to your loved ones. Some resource-strapped elder care facilities may treat these mobility aids as community resources, which can prevent residents from receiving the ambulatory help they need.
Don’t go against a nursing home on your own. Hiring an experienced attorney can help your family secure the compensation it deserves.
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