Taking care of an elderly person can be an overwhelming task, especially if you are busy. For this reason, many people prefer taking their loved ones to a nursing home.
Unfortunately, not all nursing home facilities are safe for your loved ones. Many elderly Americans in nursing homes face different forms of abuse, including physical, sexual, and financial abuse. Nursing home abuse can significantly affect your loved one. Therefore, you need to look for ways to protect your loved ones.
This article highlights three ways to protect your elderly loved ones from nursing home abuse.
1. Visit Regularly
If you take your elderly loved one to a nursing home, you need to visit them regularly. For instance, you can set aside one day a week to visit the nursing home, especially during weekends when you are not busy.
Regular visits promote social interaction and allow the elderly individual to feel loved. Additionally, regularly checking on your loved ones gives you the chance to know how they are doing and if they are enjoying their stay at the nursing home. These visits also enable you to easily notice changes in your loved one's behavior, condition, and mood.
Besides scheduling regular visits, you can randomly show up at the nursing home. When the staff knows your schedule, they are likely to change their routine on that particular day. Random and unannounced visits will help you paint an accurate picture of how the nursing facility handles your family members. Additionally, you will get a clear picture of the facility's natural environment.
2. Do Your Research
Before you take your elderly loved one to any nursing home, you need to do your homework.
Here are the things that you need to look at when you look for a nursing home:
- Licensing: A license is essential since it can protect you and your loved one if any problem arises. Additionally, a license serves as proof that the facility adheres to all protocols.
- Staff certification: Taking care of the elderly is not a walk in the park. Therefore, you need to ask the management if their caregivers are properly trained on how to handle the elderly.
- Financial Stability: A financially stable nursing home offers your loved ones everything they need.
- Staff-to-resident ratio: Every person in a nursing home needs special care and attention to ensure their well-being. Therefore, before you put your loved one in a nursing home, check whether there is enough staff to handle their needs.
- Cleanliness: A clean environment protects your loved ones from infection, ensuring they remain healthy.
Looking for a reputable nursing home is not an easy task. To avoid making mistakes, you can ask for recommendations from family members and friends who have put their loved ones in a caregiving facility. You can also look at the nursing home reviews from renowned agencies like
US News and World Report.
3. Get Involved in Care Planning
The best way to protect your elderly loved ones from nursing home abuse is to get involved the caregiving planning. As soon as your family member enters the facility, the caregivers need to provide you with a written plan customized according to a person's needs. Carefully go through the plan to ensure everything is okay.
Moreover, you need to make a point to attend resident council meetings. Often, nursing homes hold meetings to allow residents to raise their concerns and give suggestions on improving the facility. Attending these meetings will enable you to contribute your suggestions to help improve the nursing home and advocate for your loved one.
Every elderly person needs to feel safe and protected in a caregiving facility. If you suspect your loved one is facing any form of abuse in a nursing home,
contact the Law Offices of Janice Maloney for legal actions.
