The Problem Of Nursing Home Negligence
Over five percent of the 65-year-old+ population make up those who occupy nursing homes or other long stay rehabilitation centers. The average stay time for these elderly residents is over two years, however many stay longer than that. People look to these facilities to care for their family members, hoping and many times assuming those residents will be treated properly and not neglected in any way.
As many as 5 million elderly people in nursing homes are abused by staff members within the facility. These cases can fall under criminal law if there is an act of violence against the victim. This can be either physical abuse or sexual assault. Many cases are due to wrongful death cases in nursing homes where gross negligence took place that caused the victims death. There is a breach of duty in the duty of care the residents and families expect from the facility. (McDonald, Sheppard, Hitzig, Spalter, 2015). Patient neglect is when a designated caregiver fails to meet the needs of the person whom they are caring for. The term is often used to describe poor patient healthcare or services that do not meet ones health care expectations, within reason. Patient neglect can range from depriving those of food, bathroom and bathing rights, as well as not providing medical care when necessary and needed. Every facility should assure that their residents and patients are treated with compassion and dignity. Many facilities have new employees sign codes of conduct stating that they will stick to these policies and standards since many times employees are the ones whom neglect the patient’s needs and rights.
This has become a political issue as well, since many politicians use this as a campaigning mechanism, as it is a well-known issue which needs to be corrected. These cases often include patient being physically abused, dehydrated, unfed, and with bad hygiene. Emotional abuse has also been an issue, their needs are often ignored causing the patients to fell not worthy or they experience a loss of dignity. Doing research on such cases can be difficult since many of the patients lack the ability to answer questions and are often not in a proper mindset. (Reader & Gillespie, 2013). Many cases also involve resident sexual assault or battery and assult cases. These cases may be caused by breech in duty on the facilities part if they are aware such situations may happen and fail to protect the residents. If facilities fail to report such abuse can result in larger issues.
