A nursing home is a business, and that means it can run into staffing issues just like any other business. In fact, this is one industry where understaffing is common. For instance, some reports claim that there are staffing shortages in roughly 94% of nursing homes, meaning that almost every facility will encounter staffing issues at some point.
This can be problematic for residents and may lead to issues of neglect. It is not necessarily the caregivers on staff who are at fault in these cases, but it could be an issue with the administration and ownership group.
Failure to provide proper assistance
For example, many nursing home residents have a call button in their room. If they are having some sort of emergency or they need assistance, they can call a staff member to come to the room.
This works well when there are enough people on staff to quickly respond to calls. But it can fall apart if there are understaffing issues. If the office gets five different calls from various residents throughout the facility, but there are only three people on staff at the time who are available to respond, two people are going to be neglected. They will not get the assistance they need in a timely manner, which can lead to injuries and other issues.
The staff members may be working as hard as they can, hurrying from one room to the next and trying to respond to every call. But if the supervisor did not schedule enough people, or if the owner of the nursing home did not hire enough employees, there is very little that existing employees can do to avoid neglecting at least some of the residents.
Your legal options
Has a loved one suffered injuries or even passed away due to neglect in a nursing home? If so, be sure you know exactly what legal options you and your family can explore at this time.