Lack of Staff a Major Source of Nursing Home Neglect
Posted September 26th, 2016 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Personal Injury.
Did you know that Medicare gives New Jersey nursing homes a rating of 3.4? This means that New Jersey is 12th in the nation for quality care in nursing homes. The state has some pretty harsh laws when it comes to the regulations that nursing homes have to follow. However, even with the most stringent of laws, nursing home neglect still occurs in facilities throughout the state.
In January of this year, state legislators were pushing for a new mandate that would require a minimum of one certified nursing assistant per every eight residents on day shift, or one for every 10 on the even shift and one for every 16 on the overnight shift. The bill was later vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie.
The reason for the bill, according to the bill’s sponsors, was the lack of staff assisting residents. The lawmakers had heard testimony from nurse’s aides who admit to rushing patients through meals and other daily rituals because of the overwhelming amount of patients. In addition, these aides said they were unable to be at the bedside of patients who were dying alone in their rooms.
Staffing issues is one of the major causes of nursing home neglect. Whether it’s because of labor costs or finding qualified medical professionals, nursing homes struggle to find staff. This causes an exhausted staff who is pushed to the limits in order to work as quickly and for as long as possible. Because of lack of staff, nursing home residents suffer. Mistakes are made and because these nurses have no time to pay attention, injuries and even death can occur. In addition, an overworked staff member is more likely to commit abuse, even if it’s not meant to be intention.
If you believe that your loved one has been neglected while living in a nursing home which resulted in an injury, let us help. Contact the Law Office of Anthony Carbone now for a free consultation.
