Avoid Elder Abuse by Picking the Right Massachusetts Nursing Home
Nursing Home Abuse can be avoided according to a series recently run in the Boston Herald on the rights of elders in Massachusetts Nursing Homes. Do your research advises Jessica Fargen, the series author. Quoting Quincy MA. Attorney Bernard J. Hamill she advises a personal visit to the nursing facility.
Are the elders all crammed by the nurses station in their night clothes? If so that would indicate a staff shortage or a pattern of care that places the convenience of staff over the needs of the residents. Short staffing is the #1 predictor of Nursing Home abuse. Many large Nursing Homes scrimp on the bottom line and sacrifice patient care for more profits.
Common sense applies literally here: If your sense of smell is offended, run for the hills. There is a direct correlation between what you see and what you get: Are the residents clean, dressed and out of their rooms by lunchtime? Are most of the elders in the lunch room rather than in their rooms? Does the facility smell like dirty diapers?
Do your "due diligence". Every state has statistics on the level of care for each nursing home. And the Federal government offers ratings for nursing facilities at their website: www.medicare.gov/nhcompare
Nursing Home abuse can be prevented. The first step is to pick the right facility for your loved one.
