Families in Chicago often worry about their aging loved ones. As their health deteriorates, these individuals often become harder to care for and if a family can afford it, they may put the person into a nursing home. But once that person has become a resident at such a facility, it does not mean that everything will be good for the rest of their days. In some cases, it could mean that the last of their days are worse than any others they have experienced. This can be due to nursing home neglect. The closing of a facility in nearby Ohio highlights the possibility that this could happen at any nursing home at any time.
According to reports, substandard care was prevalent at this specific facility. An investigation by the state’s attorney general and health department revealed that the nursing home was violating the rights of the residents and was performing poorly in areas such as treatment and care, food and nutrition, and infection control. Each of these is important for a nursing home, as they make up the bulk of the work that must be done. Residents need to have their rights recognized, especially since they are the ones paying for the care they receive, whether it be substandard or stellar. Treatment and care, as well as food and nutrition, are important for obvious reason. Then there is infection control: Many elderly residents at poor-performing facilities may struggle with infection. This can create conditions that the residents will have to deal with for the rest of their lives and it can even kill them.
Agents from the regulatory organizations involved in the investigation used surveillance cameras to determine what was going on at the nursing home, but only after receiving permission from the families of the residents involved in the complaints. Investigators said that the footage revealed many of the aforementioned violations, with at least one patient being exposed to all four areas of neglect. Officials also noted that staff were even falsifying documents that indicated certain care had been performed when it had not. The license belonging to the facility has since been revoked and the nursing home will be shut down. If you believe that your loved one is being neglected in such a home, speak with an attorney as soon as possible to find out what steps you should take.
Source: NBC 4i, “Zanesville Nursing Home Accused Of Patient Neglect; License Revoked” Alex Mazer and Denise Yost, Jun. 27, 2013
