Four Ways to Prevent Nursing Home Abuse
We can’t always control when and where a loved one goes into a nursing home or assisted living facility. In a perfect world, we would have unlimited time, money, and information with which to make the best, safest choice. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, so we must make the best decisions we can, be extra-vigilant, and learn what we can do to prevent nursing home abuse.
“True prevention is not waiting for bad things to happen, it’s preventing things from happening in the first place.” – Don McPherson, Author
According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), approximately one in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse. Further, elders who have been abused have a 300% higher risk of death when compared to those who have not been mistreated.
Hopefully, your loved one is receiving or will receive the care they deserve. Nevertheless, it is crucial to know how to spot nursing home abuse. Even better, we can educate ourselves to help prevent abuse before it happens.
Four Ways to Prevent Ohio Nursing Home Abuse Before It Happens
- Know about resident rights. Ohio nursing homes must adhere to both federal and state bills of residents’ rights, which outline specific standards of care for residents. This knowledge can help you protect yourself or your loved ones during a stay of any length.
- Take advantage of Esther’s Law. Created in honor of Esther Piskor, who passed away in 2018 after silently suffering from nursing home abuse, Esther’s Law enables families the legal ability to remotely monitor staff who care for their loved ones via electronic monitoring devices (aka “Granny cams”). While this is no substitute for involvement, it can provide insight into what is happening in the resident’s room when the family is not around and function as a deterrent to bad actors.
- Get access. Monitoring medical and financial records is a way to look for red flags. Make sure the facility has written permission from your loved one for you or someone else to have access to their medical records for visibility into medication, falls, injuries, and other important information. Since nursing home abuse can also take the form of financial abuse, you or another trusted individual should also be granted proper authority via a power of attorney to monitor finances.
- Shop around. If you or your loved one is not happy with their current facility and you are able, consider researching other options. Though it can be difficult to make such a significant change, it is important to follow your gut. As always, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
What Should You Do if Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect is Suspected?
Despite your best efforts, if you suspect nursing home abuse is occurring in an Ohio nursing home, the most important thing you can do is to take immediate action. First, contact an administrator and report the problem. Then, consider contacting a nursing home abuse and neglect attorney. Even if the facility management or administration agrees to follow up and get back to you, being in contact with an attorney can also be helpful to protect your loved one’s rights.
As an attorney for nursing home abuse, I can provide direction in terms of other action that should be promptly taken, which may include contacting the police, documenting your loved one’s injuries and the circumstances surrounding their harm, and filing a complaint with the Ohio Department of Health. There is no charge or obligation for contacting me.
If a Loved One Has Been Affected by Nursing Home Negligence, Call the Nancy C. Iler Law Firm for a Free Consultation
My firm accepts nursing home negligence, abuse, injury, and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will not owe us any fee while your case is progressing, and there will only be a fee if compensation is recovered.
When care falls short and results in life-threatening injury, abuse, or wrongful death, the injured and their families need a strong advocate. I and my firm are committed to making a difference by holding corporations accountable for providing essential care, supervision, and safety to nursing home residents.
As a nursing home abuse law firm in Ohio, we represent many types of nursing home and assisted living care abuse or neglect cases: