Strong Justice For Serious Disease

What to look for when selecting a nursing home

On Behalf of | Jan 4, 2018 | Nursing Home Deaths

A nursing or care home should be a comfortable place where a loved one may find care and support for their medical and occupational needs. Though not all nursing homes are fancy, many provide aging Pennsylvanians with safe places to live out their years under the care of individuals who truly have their best interests in mind. Individuals rarely hear about these types of facilities, though, as it is often the dangerous and abuse-ridden nursing homes that appear as stories on the evening news.

When faced with the difficult task of finding a nursing home for a loved one, there are a number of things that individuals should look for to be proactive about selecting a safe and respectable place. Aside from ensuring that the facility is Medicare and Medicaid certified, a party should inquire about the waiting list for becoming a resident. The person should check into the facility’s licenses and discuss background check procedures for employees of the facility. The individual should also find out if the residents of the facility have freedom to follow their own preferences concerning their schedules and if staffing is adequate to care for all of the residents.

Individuals who are looking at nursing homes for loved ones should take note of the facilities themselves. Are they well-maintained with proper lighting? Are there hazards that could cause slip or trip-and-fall incidents for the residents? Do the residents have adequate privacy and are the dining facilities clean and cared for?

Even the most luxurious nursing facility can be a danger to its residents if it is not properly run and staffed. While the notes made in this post are an introduction to the many issues that parties should consider when assessing nursing homes, readers are reminded that it is not a comprehensive list.

There are many responsibilities that nursing homes and their employees must carry, but the truth of the matter is that they don’t always live up to the duty of care they owe their residents. In the even that a nursing home is responsible for its residents’ harm, then it may be subject to liability under negligence-based lawsuits.

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