How to Check for Nursing Home Violations

Nursing homes are supposed to be places where our elderly loved ones can live out the end of their lives in comfort and care. Far too often, these elder care facilities fail to properly address the needs of those in their charge, let small issues grow into serious problems, and generally fail to uphold the standards they are supposed to meet. Some states have a significantly higher percentage of nursing homes with serious deficiencies, while others meet a far more consistent level of care, according to ProPublica.

The laws governing what standards of care need to be met can vary from state to state, so it’s important to have a clear understanding of federal laws and regulations in place when checking for possible violations in your loved one’s nursing home. It also helps to know some common issues to look out for so you can keep an eye open when you visit and have conversations with your loved one staying at the facility. Some of the most common nursing home violations include:

Hazards

Tripping, slipping, and falling are among the most common ways older people injure themselves. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), more than one in four people aged 65 and up will report a fall, which leads to more than 3.5 million emergency room visits every year and tens of thousands of preventable deaths. With this increased risk for this specific type of injury, nursing homes and elder care facilities need to be diligent to ensure that carpeting is well-maintained, stairwells have stable handrails, wires are neatly tucked away, and more to mitigate the chances that someone will trip and fall.

Unsanitary Food Conditions

Just like any restaurant or kitchen, the food provided by a nursing home needs to meet certain standards to be considered safe and healthy to consume. In an ideal situation, these standards are surpassed and merely a box to check for an inspector, but that isn’t always the case. Dirty working conditions, expired ingredients, infestations, and more can quickly become a serious health hazard that needs to be addressed.

Poor Record Keeping

Every person in one of these facilities has a specific care routine that needs to be adhered to to keep them as healthy as possible. Even in the smallest nursing homes with the healthiest patients, there needs to be a diligent note and record-keeping system in place to ensure that no treatment is missed and everything is recorded. A poorly organized or lackluster record-keeping system is a potential catastrophe that must be fixed as soon as possible.

Improper Handling of Medication

Medication needs to be handled with the utmost care — not just to ensure that every patient receives their necessary dosage at the prescribed times but also to ensure that patients aren’t overmedicated. Overmedication can be just as, if not more dangerous than undermedication in certain situations, and nursing homes need to take care to prevent any mishaps. If the nursing home has a poor system in place or fails to track medication at all, it can quickly lead to serious health complications among its patients.

Signs of Abuse

Nursing home abuse is a serious problem that affects approximately one in six people 60 years old and above every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This can take many forms, including physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and more. While a range of people can perpetrate elder abuse, it occurs far too often in nursing homes and similar facilities. It’s important to understand the potential warning signs of nursing home abuse and take quick action to ensure your loved one receives the treatment and justice they need to feel safe in their home.

If you suspect that your loved one’s nursing home could be committing a nursing home violation, it’s important to understand your legal options when deciding what to do next. Federal standards must be met, and it’s possible to file a complaint to seek restitution for the harm caused. In some cases, you may need to take additional steps like hiring a law firm to fully tackle the problems you’ve identified.