Nursing Home Neglect: A Widespread Problem

If you have been admitted in the nursing home at some point of time you know that it is probably not a very pleasant experience

. And if the person to be admitted is your loved one it can never be an easy task. While admitting your near and dear ones in a nursing home you trust the nursing home authority completely. You believe that your family member or friend will be taken care of. You choose a nursing home because you know that it is well run and safe. But you dont realize just as many others that nursing home neglect has become a widespread problem.

Yes, it is shocking to discover that your loved ones are being neglected when they desperately need care. Of course you dont admit your dear one in the nursing home if you can take care of them yourself. You do that only when you think that professional care is needed.

Most of the residents in United States suffer from nursing home neglect. If you notice a little carefully you will understand that most of the neglects are actually unintentional. Neglect is different from deliberate abuse. What you define as neglect is undoubtedly what might be recognized as abuse. Neglect is often accidental. It is not deliberate like abuse. As far as nursing homes are concerned neglect is more common than abuse.

However neglect is also something to be considered serious because the numbers of negligence cases are alarming. Nursing home neglect has become a serious concern for common people. Almost one million senior citizens in USA are admitted to nursing home and most of them suffer from negligence. They dont get the facilities they are entitled to.
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A report shows that nearly 14,000 deaths occurred between 1999 and 2000 because of some kind of nursing home neglect. Much of the neglects that take place are often indirect. Many people often dont recognize deaths that are actually caused by negligence. They often think that the elderly person has died because of poor health condition. But often those deaths are results of negligence.

Nursing home negligence can be of various kinds. In most cases the basic needs of residents are neglected. Many of the neglects are often not observed. A survey has shown that many residents of nursing homes suffer from bedsores or poor nutrition and also dehydration. A common form of negligence is not offering the residents adequate food or water. You may have noticed that the residents often leave the food untouched.

The main reason behind nursing home neglect is staff shortage. Most of the nursing homes dont have many staffs to look after the residents. This is natural because most of the staffs are underpaid and overworked. Therefore before you admit your dear ones in the nursing home you should check the ratio of staff to residents.

Before admitting anyone in a nursing home make sure the nursing home is properly equipped, well run and has got efficient caregivers to look after your near and dear ones.

by:Daniel Smith

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