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It seems like preventing nursing home abuse and neglect should be easy. Nursing home staff should act with reasonable care and they should respect the rights of nursing home residents. However, this doesn’t always happen. Some nursing home staff act with the intent to abuse residents, and some nursing homes put staff members in positions where they cannot adequately meet the needs of nursing home residents.
Common Causes of Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
When a nursing home resident suffers an injury, it is important to understand why it happened. Some common causes of nursing home abuse and negligence include:
- Intentional abuse. Some nursing home staff act with the intent to embarrass or harm a nursing home resident, and these staff members have committed elder abuse.
- Understaffing. If a nursing home fails to have enough staff working to meet the needs of the nursing home residents then the nursing home may be understaffed and the staff members who are working may be unable to provide reasonable care to residents.
- The failure to provide sufficient staff training. Nursing home staff members need to be trained in providing reasonable care and in nursing home policies and procedures. If this does not happen and a resident is hurt by abuse or negligence, then the lack of training could be a reason that the abuse or negligence occurred.
You need to know why the abuse or negligence occurred so that you can hold the right party or parties responsible for the damage that they caused.
How to Find Out What Caused Your Loved One’s Injury
You will need evidence to prove what happened. That evidence may be difficult to get without the help of an experienced attorney who knows how to request information in a way that cannot be refused by the nursing home. The evidence may include things such as:
- Nursing home policies and procedures.
- Documentation of specific staff trainings.
- Staff logs to determine who was on duty and when.
- Medical records.
- Eyewitness testimony.
To find out more about how to get this evidence and how to pursue a nursing home abuse or negligence injury claim in Illinois, please read our FREE book, Guide for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Victims: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Legal Rights and Get Every Dollar You Deserve, or call us any time at 1-800-800-5678 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
