Nursing home neglect and abuse happen far too often to senior citizens, and this might be something you are concerned with if you are planning on moving your parent to a nursing home soon. If you have concerns about this and want to make sure your parent is cared for properly, there are several things you can do to help prevent neglect and abuse to your parent. Here are some of the steps you can take to help prevent this from happening.
Visit the Nursing Home Often
Seniors that have frequent visitors are less likely to become victims of abuse and neglect in nursing homes, and this is true for several reasons. For one, the people who work there will know that you will be visiting often. Secondly, family members that visit often tend to be very involved in the care of the person they are visiting, and the staff members know this.
It is often the residents that do not get a lot of visitors that end up becoming victims of abuse and neglect; however, abuse and neglect can happen to anyone living in a nursing home.
If you can visit your parent often and show up at different times of the day, there is a lower risk that your parent will suffer abuse and neglect.
Report Any Problems
A second step you can take is to stay informed and in touch with the nurses on staff by asking a lot of questions and reporting any problems you notice. When you visit, take note of any changes you see with your parent and discuss these changes with a nurse. Each time you do this, the nurse should document your conversation and take any steps necessary to remedy the problem if there is something that can be done.
For example, if your parent's personality suddenly changes, talk to a nurse. Major personality changes could be the result of changes in medication. If the staff changed your parent's medication without proper authority to do this, this could be considered abuse.
You should also report any problems you see with the conditions of the nursing home. For example, if you see that your parent's room is dirty or has a wet floor, let someone know about this.
Many families trust nursing homes to care for their loved ones, yet there are so many times when this just doesn't happen. If you suspect neglect or abuse of your loved one, contact a law firm like Garrison Law Firm that specializes in nursing home abuse law.
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