Many nursing facilities intentionally understaff just to increase profits since employees are the most expensive part of running a home. Plus, finding and retaining properly trained staff is hard due to unreasonable demands. Therefore, the high turn over rates leads to many places to grossly understaffed. This understaffing leads to an increase in nursing abuse.
Nursing Home Duty to Keep Residents Safe
Every year over 4 million elderly people are victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. The abuse usually happens in a nursing home setting. Therefore, where does the nursing home abuse liability lie? Is it just the facility, or an employee, or possibly a third party? Nursing homes have a strict “duty of care” to residents. They must provide a safe place with services such as food, shelter, hygiene and medical care. Plus, staff must provide therapy and other physical activities. Because of this, there are a variety of settings and activities in which a resident may suffer an injury or abuse.
Consequences of Understaffed Nursing Homes
The fewer employees in a nursing home, the more risk residents are to suffer neglect and abuse. This includes physical ailments, psychological disorders, and even death. Many in nursing homes have limited mobility and need a caregiver to move him or her. However, without enough staff patients are stuck for hours or days without moving. This leads to muscle atrophy, skin conditions, and infections. This increases without proper bathing and grooming. Infections can spread quickly. Plus, without proper numbers many don’t receive food consistently that can cause malnutrition.
This isn’t an uncommon occurrence as almost 100% of nursing homes may be understaffed. Florida requires one licensed nurse for every 40 residents. Plus, each needs 3.6 hours of direct care per day. Yet, many don’t receive anywhere close to that. This can lead to wrongful death and injuries. It is important to seek the counsel of a knowledgable attorney if an understaffed nursing home contributed to the injury of a loved one.
Get Justice for a Loved One
If you suspect abuse or neglect, do not accept denials. Instead, contact a knowledgeable lawyer experienced with representing victims. When an abuser injures a resident at a care facility, it is not always obvious what happened and legal liability. The evidence available is often incomplete and may be self-serving for the defendant – the nursing home. This is why a free consultation with us is so important. We have been assisting the injured for 20 years. We help clients from all over the country. Our consultations are completely free. Call today.