Exercise care when selecting a nursing home for your loved one

April 13, 2013 (Press-News.org) When we have a family member that needs to go into a nursing home, we will spend a lot of time studying the residences to determine which facility will offer the best care. We may take tours and speak with staff to learn more about the attention that our loved ones will receive.

We have all heard stories about nursing home abuse that can sometimes occur at these facilities. Even if we carefully examine each location, we still may not be able to observe any mistreatment that may be happening. It is important to be aware of some of the signs of abuse that may be present.

Some injuries, such as bedsores, are often not obvious. Bedsores are extremely painful and often become infected. These arise because the patients are not tended to often enough. If the facility does not restrain or monitor patients, falls may happen. Falls can lead to broken bones or other serious injuries. Medication errors can arise if staff is not paying close attention to each patient. Other suspicious circumstances can result in pneumonia, heart failure, sepsis, gangrene and even death.

Even though nursing homes are highly regulated, these problems can go undetected, or can take time to be addressed. Most nursing homes receive federal money from Medicare and Medicaid, which goes toward the care of the residents. Because the homes receive this money, they must comply with state and federal regulations. State officials generally review a nursing home once a year, to ensure they are following these regulations. If a complaint about the home is received, it will be investigated to determine if there was any wrongdoing.

The U. S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) compiles information about nursing homes, and makes this accessible to the public on its website. Users can see an overall rating for the home, as well as ratings for staffing and health inspections at each facility. This is valuable information for those comparing nursing homes in their area, but families should still be sure to take the time to visit these facilities to gain a better understanding of the care that will be administered.

If you suspect your loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse, contact an experienced personal injury attorney to learn more about your case. These cases can be difficult to prove, because sometimes an individual's health may have been poor when he or she arrived at the facility. Connecting the injuries sustained to the mistreatment at the hands of the staff always requires an expert investigation and expert testimony to establish nursing home abuse.

Because the consequences of nursing home abuse are so severe, it is important to hold those who caused the injuries responsible. You and your family may recover compensation for the injuries, illnesses, or death caused by the negligence of the nursing home.

Article provided by Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
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