Proper training can reduce nursing home neglect and abuse claims

There are many things that you can do to prevent neglect and abuse claims at your New York nursing home. One of these the most important things is properly training your employees.

Many nursing home neglect or abuse claims are based on negligence, rather than intentional actions. Providing training to your employees can reduce the chance of negligent actions that lead to lawsuits, as well as intentional acts potentially caused by insufficient hiring practices.

Nursing home neglect and abuse training should cover many different topics. In addition to educating employees on how to prevent neglect and abuse, the training should cover detection of neglect or abuse and reporting or investigating claims.

Reporting claims

Employees who witness neglect or abuse sometimes do not come forward because they are not sure how. How to report claims is an important aspect of any training program. Your employees should know that they will not face retaliation if they report claims.

Training can also cover topics related to hiring and educate you on how to make sure you hire the most qualified employees. Spending the time and resources up front on things such as background checks can go a long way toward reducing your risk of a neglect or abuse accusation.

Working at a nursing home is stressful. A good training program also covers the effect this stress can have on employee behavior and tips to prevent or reduce the stress.

Initial and ongoing training

Training should be ongoing. While employees should receive training before starting the job, regular training is important to remind employees of proper procedures and protocols.

There are several different forms of training. In-person training is often most effective, but online training is also available. Some nursing homes choose a combination of forms and find that to be most effective.

While training is usually aimed at nursing home employees, medical professionals, nurses or students or other individuals working in a nursing home setting can benefit from this training, as well.