Federal and state laws ensure that potential residents have equal access to care and services regardless of their demographics. The iBulletin’s recent article, “Things Nursing Homes Are Not Allowed To Do,” says that in case of any discrimination experienced by a nursing home resident during their stay, they can lodge an official complaint about it.
Every nursing home must abide by these regulations and can’t ignore the rights of its aging population. For example, under federal nursing home regulations, nursing homes must:
- Provide sufficient nursing staff;
- Conduct initially a comprehensive and accurate assessment of each resident’s functional capacity;
- Develop a comprehensive care plan for each resident;
- Provide, if a resident is unable to carry out activities of daily living, the necessary services to maintain good nutrition, grooming and personal oral hygiene;
- Ensure that residents receive proper treatment and assistive devices to maintain vision and hearing abilities;
- Ensure that residents do not develop pressure sores and, if a resident has pressure sores, provide the necessary treatment and services to promote healing, prevent infection and prevent new sores from developing;
- Ensure that the resident receives adequate supervision and assistive devices to prevent accidents;
- Maintain acceptable parameters of nutritional status;
- Promote each resident’s quality of life; and
- Maintain the dignity and respect of each resident.
If you think your nursing home resident is experiencing neglect or emotional/physical abuse from assisted living staff members, taking immediate action is important. First, remove them from the abusive situation and collect evidence and statements from potential residents or family members who’ve seen instances of nursing home abuse in their aging loved one’s care plan. You should then find an elder law attorney who works on nursing home staff negligence cases to evaluate your case and explain all possible legal rights under federal or state law.
A nursing home abuse lawyer can ensure that your loved one gets proper medical attention while seeking compensation for damages related to personal injury or wrongful death caused by the abuse. They can also ensure that measures are put in place to prevent future nursing home abuse.
Reference: The iBulletin (June 20, 2023) “Things Nursing Homes Are Not Allowed To Do”
