Dangerous Temperatures Reveal Serious Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home abuse can present in a plethora of ways. Unfortunately, the dangerously cold temperatures in Ohio shed light on another very serious form of abuse; neglect and failure to provide adequate care. Ripped from local news headlines are incredibly sad neglect stories that ended in tragedy. Our elderly or disabled loved ones are being left in the cold, quite literally.
When evaluating a nursing care facility it is customary to focus on the quality of the facility, reputation, care standards and cost. Facility security and quality of around the clock care, particularly at night when family is not present, must be carefully assessed.
Nursing Care Facility Security
When we think of security we typically think of keeping people out. In the case of nursing homes, keeping our loved ones in must be evaluated. Nursing care facilities must have safeguards and protocols in place when dealing with the elderly or disabled patient. Simple alarm systems and monitoring by way of technology and personnel are critical. Every nursing home facility should be equipped with safety and security features, regardless if providing dementia care.
If a nursing care facility is properly secured and monitored, patients and/or residents are not able to leave the premises without informing the care providers. Lives have been lost as a result of patients leaving the facility and falling victim to injury or the elements.
Around the Clock Monitoring
In a recent headline out of Toledo, a patient was found dead as a result of hypothermia. This patient was unaccounted for more than 8 hours! This is totally unacceptable, and one of the worst cases of neglect in recent years.
When selecting, or re-evaluating a nursing facility, the quality of care must be taken into consideration, all hours of the day and night. Hiring and training practices, coupled with employee screening and accountability, and a system of checks and balances, could have prevented this terrible tragedy. In this particular case, several employees falsely reported resident counts and allowed the unthinkable to happen.
Grounds and Outdoor Setup
The interior of a nursing facility is important for many reasons, but the exterior grounds must be assessed as well. Outdoor grounds should be monitored 24 hours a day. In the aforementioned case in Toledo, the resident was unaccounted for 8 hours! That is two shifts that not only falsely reported resident counts, but also failed to do a simple outdoor check.
There is no doubt that for every tragedy, there are dozens of others that go unreported, or perhaps caught in the nick of time. The only way to effectively enact change is to hold these care facilities and responsible individuals accountable for their actions and failures.
If you or a loved one has suffered nursing home neglect, you must contact my offices immediately.
As your Ohio nursing home abuse attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities. You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 877.944.4373.
