The Washington Post notes how enhanced scrutiny of nursing home practices amidst COVID-19 outbreaks has exposed understaffing and poor training of staffers as an industry-wide issue. Having too few staff on hand at a nursing home presents clear dangers to residents, and may be the direct cause of neglect or another type of mistreatment that affects your loved one. If you believe that your elderly loved one is the victim of nursing home understaffing or other problems, then a Boca Raton understaffing lawyer could help you seek justice.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today at 1-800-747-3733 for a free consultation about how we may be able to help you with an understaffing-related lawsuit.
The Dangers of Understaffing
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) notes how understaffing is a common problem in nursing homes, and may lead to:
- Staffers being forced to care for a greater number of patients than they should
- Patients having less access to staffers, and by extension care
- Patients being forced to wander in search of staff, which could expose them to additional danger
- Patients not receiving meals in a timely fashion
- Patients going without essential medication
- Patients not having timely access to the restroom
- General neglect of patients
Findings add that staff may be spread especially thin on weekends. It also indicates that government-endorsed metrics for measuring staffing have not generally been accurate, reporting more favorable ratings than were deserved. The threat of understaffing could also lead nursing homes to take on employees who are not qualified to care for the elderly.
Understaffing May Lead to Additional Problems
A nursing home that lacks adequate staff may have other problems, as having too few staff members on hand may indicate an overall lack of care for residents’ welfare. Some other issues that could plague a nursing home include:
- Lack of oversight by administrators into how staffers are performing on a day-to-day basis
- Lack of systems for holding underperforming, abusive, or otherwise unfit staffers accountable
- Lack of systems for patients to report mistreatment that they have suffered
- Poor or nonexistent staff training
- Dangers throughout the premises, which could include clutter in walkways, exposed electrical components, and slippery surfaces
- A shortage of essential medical equipment
- Inconsistent practices related to meals, medications, cleaning, and other responsibilities that could directly affect your loved one’s health
The elderly require consistent care, and in certain cases, residents in nursing homes may require near-constant monitoring. A nursing home’s failure to maintain adequate staff or implement systems such as video monitoring of residents could put your loved one’s life at risk, and these failures could be reason for a lawsuit.
If your loved one has resided in a nursing home with inadequate staff, then you may speak with the team for a Boca Raton understaffing lawyer about your options for seeking compensation. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today at 1-800-747-3733 to find out how we will go the extra mile for you and your loved one.
A Lawyer May Advocate for Your Loved One
Your loved one could have suffered significant harm from negligent care in a nursing home, and may still be experiencing the effects of inadequate caregivers. A lawyer may be able to take stock of your loved one’s losses related to understaffing and other caregiving failures, and then take the necessary steps to pursue compensation.
The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) explains some of the harm that can come from abuse and neglect in a nursing home setting. Your loved one’s losses could include:
- Physical wounds such as cuts and burns, which may lead to serious infection
- Mental trauma
- Physical injuries, which they may not ever recover from completely
- The onset of diagnosed conditions such as anxiety or depression
- Loss of trust in caregivers
- Physical symptoms of neglect, such as weight loss, dehydration, and other secondary effects of mistreatment
In some cases, an elderly person may be exploited financially in a nursing home setting, and their losses could include financial harm. Identifying and valuing the losses that your loved one has suffered is just one of the ways in which a lawyer may be able to assist you.
Additional Duties of a Lawyer
Lawyers who handle elder abuse and mistreatment lawsuits may understand the limitations that elderly clients have. Such a lawyer will be prepared to handle as much of the legal process as possible, knowing that your loved one may not be in physical or psychological condition to handle such responsibilities on their own.
You can expect a lawyer to handle most if not all of your loved one’s case for compensation, including:
- Gathering of facts and evidence
- Calculation of losses
- Identification of those responsible for your loved one’s losses
- Interviewing of witnesses
- Hiring of experts
- Filing of the lawsuit
- Drafting of all other paperwork related to your loved one’s lawsuit
- Making in-person appearances related to your loved one’s lawsuit
- Negotiation of a settlement
Your lawyer will defend your loved one’s rights and dignity throughout the legal process. They will defend your loved one from any unfounded allegations that defendants’ representatives may bring as an attempt to avoid responsibility for unacceptable levels of care.
Your attorney will also aim to protect your loved one from further harm. They may assist to whatever extent possible with relocating your loved one to a different nursing home or other facility where they will receive the care that they deserve.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine Today
Hiring a lawyer could protect you from potential stress of the legal process without sacrificing any right to compensation that your loved one has. Your lawyer will keep you updated regarding the legal process to whichever extent that you wish.
If they are successful, your lawyer may secure compensation for pain and suffering, medical costs, the cost of the nursing home where mistreatment occurred, and other losses that stem from your loved one’s mistreatment.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today at 1-800-747-3733 for additional details about how a Boca Raton understaffing lawyer could be of service to you and your loved one.
We Can Help.
