How Understaffing May Impact Nursing Home Residents

Nursing homes are vital facilities to the care of aging and disabled individuals. Throughout South Carolina, families carefully research and select nursing home facilities for their loved ones when they cannot care for themselves. While many nursing homes offer safe and compassionate care for their residents, others fall short of providing sufficient oversight to offer safe homes to those in need of support.

Understaffing is one problem that plagues nursing homes throughout the nation. This post will discuss understaffing as a potential cause of nursing home neglect. It does not offer legal advice and readers with concerns about potential nursing home neglect claims should seek counsel from knowledgeable personal injury attorneys.

Problems Created by Understaffing

Understaffing occurs when a facility does not have enough workers to manage the care and needs of its residents. It can lead to delays in medical care and the use of damaging practices to mitigate actual human oversight of at-risk individuals. Possible harm that can result from understaffing includes:

• The use of restraints on residents who otherwise are not dangers to themselves or others

• The failure to clean and move residents to prevent and treat bedsores

• The failure to provide residents with food, water, and medicine

When understaffing impacts the care that a facility provides, its residents become victims of preventable nursing home neglect and abuse.

What to Do when Nursing Home Neglect Is Suspected

It is important that families advocate for their loved ones when they believe that nursing home neglect or abuse is impacting their care and safety. When it is suspected, individuals can contact attorneys who work in the personal injury field of law for support and guidance. Legal claims based on negligence and other theories of law may be available to those who have suffered losses due to nursing home neglect and abuse.