Putting a loved one in a nursing home is the toughest decision a family can ever make. We research on line, ask friends, nurses and visit the facility to make sure we are making the best decision. We would like to believe that when we spend time picking out a nursing home for our relative or loved one to go stay and live in for the rest of their lives that they are going to be well taken care of and looked after by properly trained and staffed nursing homes. We also would like to believe that they will receive the proper attention and medical care whenever such care and attention is needed. Unfortunately, many Nursing Homes put profits over patients. No matter where you live, nursing home and elderly abuse are a real problem in any state including New Jersey. It is important to understand the reasons for elderly abuse and nursing home abuse before we can begin to solve the problem. The following is list of some possible reasons for this type of abuse:
· Not enough staff
This may be due to not being able to pay people enough for the amount of work they do, or people left and went elsewhere to be closer to relatives, or the market for this type of work may be bad in some areas over other areas.
· Under qualified employees
Reasons for this might be that the employees never went through school for proper training, never received proper on the job training or attended training classes.
· Overworked employees
If there are not enough staff as mentioned before, the employees a nursing home does have may be working longer hours and may be tired, or even feeling ill when they come to work. This leads to employees not paying enough attention which can lead to abuse.
· Stress and Frustration
If an employee is stressed or frustrated on how to help a certain patient, this may lead to improper care and abuse. Training classes should be provided for these situations.
Some common signs of elderly abuse may include:
· Unexplained injuries or bruises
· Not receiving the proper doges of medications
· Cuts or welts
· poor nutrition and dehydration
· Unsanitary conditions
· Infections
· Sudden death
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Bed sores and pressure ulcers
Sadly, these problems occur every day in even the nicest nursing homes and living facilities. There are different types of abuse. These can be physical, emotional, neglect, abandonment, emotional, or even financial. By putting profits over patient care, nursing home make millions for their investors while providing inadequate care.
The number of people suffering from elder abuse was 2.5 million in 1991, according to some studies from the National Center on Elder Abuse and this number will keep rising unless people become more aware of the problem and how to fix it.
If you or someone you love, you believe may have be a victim of this type of abuse, please call: (856) 833-0600 or contact a nursing home attorney for help today.
Do not be afraid to speak up and get the help you need for your loved ones; they deserve the best care possible and may be depending on you to help them fight for their rights.
For more information on nursing home abuse and what can be done visit:
Got to the New Jersey Nursing Home Directory for a list of deficieny reports on 361 Nursing Homes in New Jersey.
Another great resource is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site which lists Health Care tools and research.