Unanswered call bells, residents left sitting in urine or feces, falls, weight loss, bedsores and unexplained injuries. These are a few of the warning signs that your loved one's nursing home does not have enough staff to provide proper resident care.
A nursing home is required to have sufficient staff to meet the needs of the residents. If they do not have enough staff, they are violating the law and endangering your loved one.
Each task to which your loved one is entitled, feeding assistance, turning and positioning, bathing, takes time. Certain care also requires the assistance of either registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, and/or certified nursing aides. These nursing staff members must have training to provide care to residents who have individualized needs, including physical and psychiatric care and assistance.
Nursing homes must also provide staff that are able to communicate in the language of residents so they are able to understand and be able to participate in their own care.
If a nursing home or assisted living fails to provide enough staff to meet the individual needs of a nursing home or assisted living, they are understaffing their facility. If there are not enough skilled nursing staff members, residents can suffer injuries due to the lack of available assistance for their care.
Contact Schall at Law if you or a loved one has sustained an injury as a result of a nursing home, assisted living or group home’s understaffing.