Nursing homes have traditionally been known for providing fairly decent care to this country's aging population. It continues to be the primary option for long term care. However, the care provided in nursing homes has come under fire recently and sparked a flurry of litigation.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, big business may be to blame. The article reported that investors have been purchasing nursing homes at an alarming rate for the past seven years and reducing staff to increase profits. As a result, patient care has become dangerous in many situations and has even led to death. The article found that nursing homes have cut staff and expenses that are now often below what the law requires. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that residents today commonly complain of suffering from depression, loss of mobility and loss of the ability to dress themselves.
To many, that might not seem so bad. However, it gets worse. A lot worse. Consider these stories:
Study after study shows that patients are being neglected – especially those without friends or family routinely checking in on them. Many ailments of elderly nursing home patients are not treated seriously and staff can always blame their aches and pains on common ailments such as arthritis, fragility and just old age in general.
Many family members of nursing home patients have brought lawsuits against the companies that own these homes. However, trying to find out exactly who owns them can be difficult as the homes are being purchased by investor groups that have figured out how to remain fairly anonymous. In the last example above, the family of the woman with Alzheimer's disease had to serve over 20 different companies before locating the owner. That process took over three years and cost the family over $30,000 before the case could even begin.
State regulators have little input as it is perfectly legal for the investor groups to purchase nursing homes. Regulators can issue fines when homes fall below state acceptable standards, but paying fines is sometimes less expensive than fixing the problem. In addition, as baby boomers continue aging, many of these homes are at capacity, so if one is shut down for violations, residents may have nowhere else to go.
If your loved one is being mistreated in a nursing home, there are some actions you can take to avoid the outcomes of the examples above.
Speak with the person in charge. You're not apt to get anywhere with low level staff that may be just as frustrated as you are. Ask to speak with the person in charge and don't take no for an answer.
Put your concerns in writing. Putting your concerns in writing, and asking for the home's responses in writing, shows the staff and owners that you mean business.
Follow through. Follow through to make sure that any reasonable request is granted. If it isn't, immediately ask why.
Start visiting more often and at different times. If you visit at the same time, the staff will be anticipating your visit and make a better presentation of cleanliness – and then let everything slide once you've gone. Visit at different times to avoid the show.
Contact an attorney. An attorney who deals primarily with medical negligence and elder abuse issues may be able to elevate the issue to a point where the staff and owners know you're serious. If you are or a loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse, contact a nursing home abuse attorney.