It’s very common for nursing homes to struggle with staffing issues. For instance, one report looked at more than 14,000 different nursing homes to see how many of them were encountering staffing shortages. Stunningly, the report found these shortages in 94% of the homes that were studied.
The reasons for understaffing differ from one facility to the next. In some cases, the nursing home may be located in an area where there isn’t a large workforce to draw from. In other cases, potential employees may find more lucrative options elsewhere, so low wages lead to high turnover rates at nursing homes. Regardless of the reasons, it could be a danger to your loved one who is living in that nursing home.
Nursing home neglect
Staffing shortages are problematic because they can lead to neglect. In many cases of neglect, families believe that the nursing home staff is intentionally ignoring a resident or simply refusing to provide the care that that person needs.
However, the truth could be that there are not enough workers on staff to meet everyone’s needs. The workers who are there are not intentionally doing anything wrong. They are not refusing to provide services. They just need a larger workforce to be effective.
Say that two workers are in the office when they get notifications from four different call buttons. They have to quickly try to figure out which residents need assistance the most and prioritize those individuals. However, there’s always going to be a delay in care because there just aren’t enough workers to go to every room and respond to every call button immediately.
If your loved one has suffered harm in a nursing home, be sure you understand all of your options. Having experienced legal guidance can help.
