There’s no question that many nursing homes in California are underfunded and this leads to necessary cuts. However, when those cuts lead to injuries or elder abuse, it becomes unacceptable. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. Read on to learn about three shortcuts in nursing homes that can readily lead to elder abuse. If you have questions, or you need to talk to a personal injury attorney, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
Negligent Hiring
Anyone who works closely with the elderly or those who are in need of full time care should be carefully vetted and background checked before getting anywhere near these patients. In some situations, nursing homes are so desperate for staff that they do not do background checks. In some cases, they may do background checks but decide that a criminal history is not relevant – even when said criminal history involves violence and theft – and hire the person anyway. If a patient is then injured by that person, the nursing home can be held responsible.
There May Not Be Enough Staff
There are rules and regulations that affect how many staff members there must be for each resident. If the nursing home does not have enough staff on hand and a serious issue arises, the nursing home could be held responsible. It may be that elder abuse was able to happen because the lack of staff meant no one noticed, or the lack of staff may have led directly to the abuse – as in your loved one’s medications simply being forgotten.
In some cases, nursing homes have a hard time finding qualified staff or they may have people call in sick. Despite their best efforts, they could not get enough staff. This is still their responsibility. In other instances, it may be that they cut staff to save money and increase profit. This is an even more egregious error and they should face a financial consequence.
Lack of Adequate Training
This type of work is hard and can be challenging. Not just anyone is suited for it and even those who are need training to do it right. The bad news is that this training can be expensive – and so some nursing homes skip it. Some have no training for their new employees, which puts lives at risk when unqualified employees are in charge of a vulnerable population.
If you suspect that your loved one has been the victim of elder abuse – or you know they have been – then we welcome your call to The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation. We know how difficult this situation is and we are standing by to help.
