Nursing Home Neglect

As the American population ages, nursing home abuse is becoming a serious and growing problem. One of the most common forms of mistreatment in nursing homes is not intentional violence toward residents, but, rather, neglect. Although neglect may not cause direct physical harm in the same way that intentional violence does, it can still cause significant physical and psychological damage to nursing home residents.

Below, we'll take a look at some of the most common red flags that might warn you that a loved one is suffering from neglect in a nursing home.

• Poor personal hygiene: Most nursing home residents need help bathing, getting dressed, styling their hair, clipping their nails, and brushing their teeth. If they are neglected by staff, their personal hygiene may begin to suffer, which can lead to infections, rashes, and a number of other illnesses.
• Unsanitary living conditions: Again, most nursing home residents need help keeping their living areas clean. Signs that residents' living conditions are being ignored are dirty sheets, dirty bathroom areas, and dirty kitchen conditions. Unsanitary living areas are a breeding ground for germs and contagious illnesses, which can be especially dangerous for the elderly.
• Poor nutrition: Some studies suggest that malnutrition affects about 20 percent of international nursing home residents. Lack of adequate nutrition can cause weight loss, dehydration, loss of muscular tissue, and fatigue.
• Unexplained injuries: When nursing home residents do not get the help they need to feed, bathe, and otherwise look after themselves, they may try to do things on their own, which can cause them to fall or burn themselves.
• Loss of mobility: Seniors need a steady program of exercise in order to keep their mobility intact. A sudden loss of mobility may indicate that a resident has been left in his or her room for extended periods of time and is not getting a healthy amount of exercise.

When a nursing home resident suffers abuse or neglect at the hands of the staff, liability will most often attach to the nursing home through a negligence action. This is because nursing homes owe their residents a very high duty of care, and if that duty is breached, they expose themselves to legal liability. There are several different negligence actions that a plaintiff may bring against a nursing home for neglecting the needs of a resident, including:

• Negligent hiring of staff
• Negligent training of staff
• Failure to properly monitor staff
• Failure to protect residents from health and safety hazards
• Failure to address medical needs or provide medication

However, this is by no means an exhaustive list, and the grounds for a negligence action will vary according to the facts of each case.

If you suspect that a loved one is suffering from neglect in a nursing home, it is important that you take action as soon as possible before a preventable injury occurs. We serve the entire state of Georgia, including the following locations: Roswell, Marietta, and Decatur. To schedule a free consultation with an Atlanta nursing home neglect attorney, call Slappey & Sadd, LLC today at 404.255.6677 or contact us online.