Our elderly loved ones require the crucial care provided by their nursing home of residence when it comes to daily activities and satisfying everyday needs. Unfortunately, the tragic circumstances of wrongful death can raise serious concerns about the care and safety of nursing homes in general. Contact a Knapp & Roberts Phoenix nursing home abuse lawyer that is qualified to discuss your legal options and rights in a potential nursing home wrong death case.
Staffing Shortages and Inadequacies
The staffing environment an elderly resident is subjected to can have a huge impact on their day-to-day and well being. It should be no surprise that in the case of a nursing home wrongful death, staffing inadequacies and shortages can result in preventable injuries and illnesses. It’s important to note and understand that staff members rarely act with the intention of harming a resident. Insufficient staffing is often the cause of neglecting medication administration or timely medical attention that is vital for effective care. Residents all have basic needs such as hygiene, nutrition, and hydration that can lead to complications if a nursing home suffers from understaffing. The American Health Care Association reported that in 2022 nearly 94% of nursing homes in the US failed to suffice minimum staffing guidelines. In reality, this provides a large risk of complications and injury to elderly patients across the nation.
Medical Errors and Mismanagement
Mistakes within the medical management process for each individual elderly resident is another common area problems can arise from. Some specific examples may include ineffective wound care, overmedication, undermedication, overlooking proper diagnosis, and any other mistake that directly or indirectly impacts the health of a patient. Proving liability in such an instance is a complicated process of breaching an owed duty of care, directly proving causation between negligence and resulting injuries, and proving real economic and/or emotional damages to the victim or their family.
Potential Solutions to Prevent Wrongful Death and Negligence
- Improving staffing proportions: Having stricter guidelines for nursing homes to have to exceed will help patients get the care they deserve. This will rely on an ability to regularly enforce proper staffing, as well as provide ongoing training that can identify and address potential neglect.
- Regular and timely health assessments: In order to keep these preventable injuries from increasing in severity and impact, early identification will be key. Providing standardized medical attention will help address changes in condition while complications and symptoms are still treatable.
- Improving abuse prevention measures: Stricter protocols for staff background checks, surveillance, and anonymous reporting are another way to limit any problematic or neglectful treatment.