There are certain risks that come with living in a nursing home. Elderly individuals do suffer injuries. For instance, someone could be injured in a fall while trying to move from their room to the dining area.
However, nursing home staff members are expected to take reasonable steps to prevent these injuries. If they do not, they could be accused of negligence. In the above example, the staff members may be able to assist residents while walking to ensure that they don’t fall, but neglectful staff members could leave someone on their own when they actually need assistance.
What if there aren’t enough staff members?
The problem with understaffing – which happens in 94% of nursing homes, according to some studies – is that there may simply not be enough staff members to provide for everyone’s needs.
Many nursing homes have call buttons in the rooms so that a resident who needs assistance can push the button or pull the cord and get help as soon as possible. These nursing homes are sometimes accused of neglect when response times are too long because residents are waiting for help that isn’t coming.
But it could simply be that the nursing home is understaffed and all of the workers are currently busy assisting other residents. They cannot respond promptly to the call because they are already too busy. This doesn’t mean missing that call isn’t neglect or dangerous for the resident, but it could be the fault of ownership, rather than the employees.
What are your options?
Either way, if your loved one has suffered injuries in a nursing home and you believe the staff was neglectful, you need to know about your legal options.
