A nursing home is legally required to provide a certain standard of care to its residents. When these standards aren’t met, they can result in serious issues. This can lead to injury, emotional withdrawal, illness, and even death. Knowing about nursing home negligence can help you spot the signs and keep your loved ones safe.

Types of Negligence

Negligence can result from many things. These things can include:

• Failing to respond appropriately to a resident’s requests or complaints
• Failing to provide food or medication at the necessary times
• Not providing adequate water to the resident
• Leaving a patient unattended when they require supervision
• Not screening visitors to the nursing home
• Direct abuse to the resident
• Failure to aid in maintaining adequate hygiene practices
• Unsafe premises
• Negligent hiring practices or insufficient training and supervision of employees

Signs of Negligence

Familiarizing yourself with the signs of negligence can help you discover it before your loved one is harmed. These signs are easier to notice when the nursing home is near the resident’s family, because the signs tend to be physical. Common signs of nursing home negligence include:

• Sudden weight loss
• Bedsores
• Injuries caused from falls
• Dehydration
• Malnutrition
• Withdrawn behavior
• Changes in hygiene or appearance
• Lack of friendly interaction with other residents or staff
• Environmental hazards or unsafe premises

Nursing home negligence can be subtle. Keeping an eye out for these signs can help you protect your loved one, especially when they are not able to care for themselves.

There is a significant different between nursing home negligence and abuse. Abuse implies the intent to cause harm to the resident. Though nursing home abuse is a type of negligence, negligence includes other aspects that can result in harm to the resident.

There is a time limit on nursing home negligence cases. This varies from state to state, but is typically within 5 years of the time of injury or 3 years from when the injury was discovered. If you are involved in a nursing home negligence case, you should seek legal counsel. Contact us at LeBaron & Jensen to procure superior legal representation.