ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Researchers Say About 75% of Homes are Understaffed
Understaffing May Lead To Neglect or Abandonment
Researchers from Harvard and Vanderbilt medical schools recently released a study estimating that over 70% of nursing homes self-reported that they had more staff members than their payroll records reflected. In particular, researchers observed that on-site nurse and aide would drop noticeably over weekends. The researchers concluded that around 75% of nursing homes in the US would not meet federal staffing expectations for registered nurses. This lack of adequate staffing could easily lead to nursing homes having increased rates of adverse incidents, such as bed sores/pressure ulcers from inattention or neglect, falls and medication errors.
The Bay Area nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent nursing home residents harmed by any type of abuse or neglect in a nursing home or other care facility in California. Our lawyers believe owners, management, administrators and staff should be held accountable for any neglect or abuse that results in bed sores/pressure ulcers, infections, over- or undermedication or other injury. If you or someone you know is suffering from nursing home abuse here in California, call the nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
Nursing home residents are in homes for a reason – they can no longer take care of themselves. Before placing a loved one in any kind of facility, check the facility’s license with State authorities and research past incidents of elder abuse and other crimes that may have occurred there. Once your loved one is admitted, visit as often as you can. Watch for signs of possible abuse or neglect:
- Bed sores/pressure ulcers or other poor skin conditions;
- Bruises and scratch marks;
- Falls;
- Injuries from wandering off unsupervised (known as elopement);
- Indication of sexual assault, rape, or battery;
- Lack of equipment and supplies;
- Overmedication;
- Rapid weight loss;
- Dehydration;
- Abnormal or withdrawn behavior and unusual silence;
- Prolonged sleep or drowsiness;
- Agitation especially when certain caregivers are present;
- Reluctance to speak when staff is nearby;
- Understaffing
- Unsanitary and unclean conditions, soiled bed linens and clothes;
- Fear of being touched.
You know your loved one best and other observations may concern you. If you suspect abuse or neglect, notify the nursing home administrator and call counsel like the nursing home abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm. Our attorneys will investigate your case and help you pursue all available remedies against those responsible for injury, including the award of your attorneys’ fees and costs under certain circumstances.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one is or has been the victim of nursing home abuse anywhere in the Bay Area or elsewhere in California, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other nursing home abuse attorneys at the Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. In addition to cases of nursing home abuse, we also handle cases involving any type of physical and financial elder abuse and neglect, qui tam and whistleblower laws, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
