Consequences of Understaffing
One of the biggest contributing factors to nursing home neglect is understaffing. Indirectly, understaffing also contributes to nursing home abuse, as overburdened staff members are more likely to become impatient and use excessive force on those under their care. Understaffing increases risk for both the staff members and residents of nursing homes and is often considered a crime. When someone you love is injured in a nursing home, whether it is due to understaffing or another problem, it is a good idea to discuss your options with an experienced Elgin injury lawyer.
As the patient to staff ratio increases, so do the incidents of abuse and neglect. Patients in understaffed nursing homes may suffer physical ailments, psychological problems and even death. As stress escalates, staff members may also suffer both physically and psychologically.
Many nursing home residents suffer from limited mobility and are dependent on caregivers for movement and other physiological needs. Bedsores and muscle atrophy often occur when a patient isn’t moved or turned as often as they should be, and understaffing can make it impossible for the staff members to fulfill these needs.
Patients also depend on the nursing home staff for food, medication, bathing, and grooming needs. If a patient is not kept clean and groomed regularly, sores, ulcers, and infections can develop. This is especially true for incontinent patients that need assistance to use the bathroom. Food and medication distribution may also suffer in an understaffed home, resulting in malnutrition and improperly administered or missing medication.
Reasons for Understaffing
Labor is one of the biggest expenses for those running a nursing home. In order to increase profits, nursing home owners and management may intentionally understaff their facilities, dictating an unreasonable patient to staff ratio. Furthermore, the demanding nature of the job may make it difficult to recruit and retain enough properly trained nurses to provide adequate care to all residents.
Prevalence and Prevention
As many as 95 percent of American nursing homes may be understaffed. Information on license requirements must be made available to the facility residents and the public. However, many residents and their families are unaware of these staffing requirements and have no idea of how to verify the nursing home is adhering to them.
Increasing awareness and stricter laws with mandatory penalties may help alleviate this societal problem in the long run. However, holding the owners and management accountable through fines and lawsuits is the only way to halt this unethical behavior in the short term.
Contact Our Highly-Skilled Elgin Injury Lawyers
Many nursing homes have paid out millions of dollars in settlements to patients and their families who have suffered an illness or wrongful death due to nursing home understaffing.
Our compassionate legal team at Shea Law Group has worked with countless victims of nursing home abuse and negligence, and we are here to help you. Give us a call at (877)-365-0040 to book your free, no-obligation consultation today.
