The New York Times released an article on a recent data analysis study performed by Kaiser Health News confirming long-held suspicions that nursing home facilities have been grossly understaffed with appropriate nursing and caretaking staff.

Understaffing has led to staff to patient ratios being as low as 1:18 in some cases, leading to simple caretaking measures to go undone and causing numerous avoidable hospitalizations of patients. Staffing problems are especially common on weekends, the study notes. While this may not pose as big of an issue to individuals whose family members and friends frequently visit them in nursing homes and help provide care, the needs of those who are less fortunate to have frequent visitors fall by the wayside.

However, not all nursing home facilities are inadequately staffed to care for your loved ones. If you make the decision to place your loved one in a nursing home, make sure you do thorough research on potential facilities and visit the nursing home prior to registering your loved one. Always be sure to bring your questions and concerns to appropriate staff immediately. Do not be afraid to speak up if you believe that your loved ones medical and emotional needs are not being addressed. If problems arise from understaffing or other inadequate policies and care, do not blame yourself as these issues may not always be immediately foreseeable.

If you or a loved one has faced issues resulting from inadequate care or treatment in nursing homes, our experienced attorneys at Lardiere McNair are able to help. Call 614-534-1355 to set up your free consultation.

Tori Smith is a Law Clerk at Lardiere McNair, LLC. To read more about our firm, please visit www.lmcounsel.com.

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