People reside at nursing homes because they know they need around the clock care or because they aren’t mentally aware of their decreased capacity to take care of themselves. Whether a person checks himself or herself into a nursing home or loved ones of an elderly person arrange the living situation, nursing homes are supposed to treat all of their patients with a certain level of care. However, some patients are often treated differently.
Residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease aren’t always treated the same as other nursing home residents. In fact, they are supposed to be treated with more care because of their vulnerability to experiencing nursing home injuries. When residents of nursing homes have dementia or Alzheimer’s, they suffer from difficulty thinking and understanding. They need help taking care of themselves and need constant attention. Nursing homes know this and have to develop care plans for all residents – especially those with Alzheimer’s – that will help treat them, care for them, and protect them. Unfortunately, this isn’t always done in nursing home facilities. When plans aren’t created or followed, nursing homes fail to provide a standard of care to their residents.
Sadly, residents living with Alzheimer’s suffer from confusion, disorientation, forgetfulness, and irritability. Because they can be easily agitated, many nursing home staff workers don’t even want to help Alzheimer’s patients. As a result, these residents are often neglected or medicated so nursing home workers don’t have to frequently deal with them. Again, this is an example of nursing home staff failing to provide a standard of care to their residents.
For Alzheimer’s patients, the disease gets worse over time – leading to greater cognitive and behavioral problems. These patients need nursing homes to continually evaluate their conditions and make changes to their care plans as the disease worsens over time. When nursing homes fail to update and follow through with care plans, they are failing to meet the specific standard of care they are required to provide to their residents with dementia.
For these reasons listed above, residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia are often victims of nursing home injury and neglect. For example, many nursing home residents living with dementia and Alzheimer’s have been victims of pressure ulcers, falls, and other avoidable injuries because the nursing home staff wasn’t following the required standard of care.
If you believe your loved one’s nursing home injuries in South Florida were preventable, your loved one may have a nursing home negligence claim. To learn about your family’s rights, contact a trusted nursing home abuse attorney at the Law Offices of Davi Benenfeld. Simply dial 866-9 HELP NOW or (954) 677-0155(954) 677-0155for a free initial consultation.
Ask a Question, Describe Your Situation,
Request a Free Consultation
Contact Us Today For a Case Consultation
Required Fields*
Your Information Is Safe With Us
We respect your privacy. The information you provide will be used to answer your question or to schedule an appointment if requested.