Neglect is an ugly word and definitely something that you want to avoid inflicting, especially on the people that you love. When someone suffers from neglect, they feel left out in the cold, forgotten, and not cared for. It is vital that the people you care for never feel any sort of neglect.
The sad, scary, disappointing truth is that nursing home neglect exists and is, in fact, a real threat. This is truly troubling for families all over the world. When someone is admitted into a nursing home, we all assume that they will be treated with respect, care, and attention. But when nursing home neglect pops up, the residents in a home are completely abandoned.
What is nursing home neglect? What does it look like? Why does it happen? And, most importantly, how can it be avoided? Knowing more about nursing home neglect means you also have tools to combat it.
What Is Nursing Home Neglect?
In the most basic sense, nursing home neglect refers to the failure of a nursing home establishment to provide the right sort of care and the proper amount of attention to its residents. Nursing home neglect almost always results in horrible things, such as harm to the residents or an undue level of mental and emotional distress.
This type of mistreatment, whether intentional or not, can manifest itself in various forms, including physical, emotional, or medical neglect. It often stems from inadequate staffing, lack of proper training, or neglectful attitudes among employees and caregivers. There are other times when caregivers or employees aren’t even aware of what they are doing.
Types of Nursing Home Neglect
One of the most common types of nursing home neglect is the physical kind, when residents do not receive the required assistance with their activities. For example, this might include neglecting even the most basic hygiene needs, such as bathing and changing clothes, or forgetting to provide appropriate nutrition and hydration.
In some cases, residents may be left unattended for extended periods, leading to physical health issues or accidents. You have to remember that residents staying at nursing homes almost always have some sort of medical condition that cannot be ignored. Additionally, they often cannot help themselves, even with simple tasks like washing hands or eating. Therefore, is they are subjected to neglect, they won’t be cleaned, they won’t eat, and other things like medical care and medication will be completely bypassed, which can be absolutely fatal in the end.
Emotional Neglect
Moving on, emotional neglect is another threat to those living in a nursing home. This involves the failure to address the psychological well-being of residents. It has to be remembered that those staying in a nursing home often have emotional issues related to their living situation. They might be sad or lonely. Additioanlly, they may have medical conditions that impact their cognitive functions and, therefore, they could be prone to fear even in common surroundings.
Any type of emotional neglect might result in a serious and troubling lack of social interaction, isolation, or disregard for residents’ emotional needs. The absence of proper communication and emotional support can lead to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety among nursing home residents.
Some people forget that nursing home residents need social interaction and emotional care. They have to interact with other residents and they have to feel cared about, seen, and acknowledged by the people who work in the nursing home. If they don’t feel any of that, they will quickly fall into emotional turmoil and that can have a fast impact on their physical state as well. There have been many instances of people who suffer from emotional neglect soon passing away or suffering from other major medical problems.
Medical Neglect
Medical neglect is a serious concern as well, involving any situation where residents do not recieve necessary medical care and attention. This can range from neglecting to administer prescribed medications to overlooking symptoms of illnesses or injuries.
It goes without saying that untreated medical conditions can amplify and worsen health problems and diminish the overall quality of life for nursing home residents. There is a direct correlation between someone who isn’t receiving the right medical care and health problems and death.
When someone lives at a nursing home, they need caregivers to ensure that they are being taken care of in multiple ways, from medical assistance to mental well-being to emotional health too. If someone doesn’t provide those things, that can be considered neglect.
You now understand what nursing home neglect is but why does it happen? Is this intentional or is it a persistent part of the industry that isn’t intended?
What Causes Nursing Home Neglect?
The most basic root causes of nursing home neglect are often complex and really hard to nail down. The sad truth is multiple things lead to this sort of neglect and that makes the problem of solving nursing home neglect even harder.
To start, a level of poor staffing levels as well as inferior training for caregivers almost always contribute to the problem. When nursing homes are understaffed, caregivers might struggle to meet the needs of all residents, leading to neglectful practices. Additionally, a lack of proper training on recognizing and addressing the signs of neglect can further exacerbate the issue.
As you can see, both of these problems aren’t always intentional. It’s not up to employees to make sure they are fully staffed and it’s also not up to them to ensure that they have been trained well. Many of them are just doing the best that they can and being overworked is a result of poor management and industry-wide issues.
Additionally, attitudes and culture within a nursing home can end up playing a very crucial role in determining the quality of care that is given to residents. Certain facilities that prioritize profit over their residents’ well-being might cut corners, and that almost always results in neglect. The failure to create and maintain a culture of true compassion and constant accountability among staff members will also add to a neglectful environment.
How To Find – And Eliminate – Nursing Home Neglect
You might think that nursing home neglect can be eliminated easily because it is easy to spot. But that is sadly not the truth. If it were that easy, nursing home neglect wouldn’t exist today.
The truth is that catching these types of nursing home neglect might be very challenging for a number of reasons. Victims might be unable or unwilling to report the mistreatment, for starters. They feel like they could cause more problems if they report the neglect and they also fear losing their housing options.
Then there are cognitive impairments, fear of retaliation, and a sense of dependency on caregivers that can all prevent residents from speaking out about neglect. Because of this, family members and loved ones have to be alert and attentive in recognizing signs of neglect. These signs may manifest themselves in the form of unexplained injuries, sudden weight loss, changes in behavior, or deteriorating health. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important that family members visit their loved ones living in nursing homes often.
How can we fix nursing home abuse? It’s just not as easy as looking for it and calling it out. Neglect has always existed and, when left unchecked, it’ll pop up from time to time. Therefore, addressing the issue of nursing home neglect needs a multi-faceted approach.
Nursing home facilities need to also prioritize the well-being of residents over any type of financial considerations. Additionally, families need to actively engage with the nursing home staff, regularly visit their loved ones, and fight for their rights.
Conclusion
Nursing home neglect is a concerning issue that compromises the health, safety, and dignity of vulnerable individuals. By looking at the root causes, strengthening regulations, and then fostering a culture of care, our society can work towards preventing and eradicating nursing home neglect, ensuring that every individual receives the respect and attention they deserve in their later years.
When you admit someone you love into a nursing home, you are making an unspoken promise that they will be looked after and safe. There are many reasons for neglect in nursing homes but none of them are acceptable, intentional or not. There are many necessary steps that must be followed in the future to get rid of nursing home neglect. It won’t happen overnight and it will not happen unless everyone, from families to employees to elected officials, work together. This is the sort of problem that needs everyone working together to solve. Contact us to learn more about legal options.
