Awareness of Issues and Abuse in Nursing

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Perhaps the most prevalent issue in nursing homes is errors in medication. The cause can be accidental, because of miscommunication or due to constraints of the nursing facility. The most common kinds of these mistakes are dosage errors which happen when medications are administered at the wrong frequency and in the wrong amounts. Both under medication and overmedication can lead to serious problems for patients which include: new illness, organ failure, chronic pain, overdose, etc. Some employees will ignore the administration instructions and change the order, add medications that are not ordered, or discontinue a medication (Traxler, 2017). Malpractice can occur in many different ways, but the main cause of medical malpractice always boils down to medical negligence. In medical or nursing home malpractice cases, courts often define medical negligence as a health care provider’s failure to exercise the degree of care and skill of the average health care provider who practices the provider’s specialty, taking into account the advances in the profession and resources available to the provider (Berg, 2017).

The amount of awareness to the abuse and negligence in the nursing home industry is small. Placing a loved one in a nursing home is among the hardest things that anyone will have to do. Unfortunately, there are many of these facilities that can be extremely dangerous and even deadly for their residents. The best thing to do is to research the facility as thoroughly as possible. Once you have decided on a few, visit the locations. There may be indications of abuse and neglect readily apparent from a simple view of the facility. Try to explore the facility and if the staff will not allow it, you might want to move to the next facility on the list. Your loved one may be unable or afraid to speak up about abuse or neglect, so it is important to be mindful of any signs: pressure sores, unexplained injuries such as broken bones, signs of falls, infections, etc. They only have you to rely on to watch over and make sure that they are safe. With enough research, communication and awareness you will be able to provide the best chances of keep them safe.

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References

Berg, D. (2017) Nursing Home Liability for Medication Errors

Retrieved from http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/nursing-home-liability-medication-errors.html

Dubois, W. (2017) Diabetes Care in Nursing Homes: Bad News.

Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/nursing-home-care-and-diabetes

Gooch, K. (2017). Video shows nursing home staff laughing as patient died gasping for air.

Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/video-shows-nursing-home-staff-laughing-as-patient-died-gasping-for-air.html

Kling, J. (2013). Program Improves Communication Among Nursing Home Staff.

Retrieved from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803658

Rapaport, L. (2017) Nursing home residents eligible for palliative care often don’t get it.

Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-palliative-nursing-homes/nursing-home-residents-eligible-for-palliative-care-often-dont-get-it-idUSKBN1DL28S

Rosenblatt, C. (2017). Outrageous! Nursing Home Illegally Dumps Elderly Resident They Don’t Want.

Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolynrosenblatt/2017/11/02/outrageous-nursing-homes-illegally-dump-elderly-residents-they-dont-want/#58c4a0d1213d

Singletary, M. (2017). When nursing homes dump some patients to make more money. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2017/11/20/when-nursing-homes-dump-some-patients-to-make-more-money/?utm_term=.17d7b2778cae

Spencer, T. (2017). Nursing home tells Congress Irma deaths not staff’s fault.

Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nursing-home-tells-congress-irma-deaths-staffs-fault-51285594

Sun Sentinel, B. (2017). Make nursing home records more accessible.

Retrieved from http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-editorial-nursing-home-records-20171120-story.html

Traxler, D. C. (2017). Medication Erros

Retrieved from https://www.nursinghomeabusecenter.com/nursing-home-neglect/medication-errors/

Yeroushalmi, B. (2012). Lack of Training in Nursing Home Staff Can Lead to Preventable Emergency Hospitalizations

Retrieved from https://www.californianursinghomeabuselawyer-blog.com/2012/08/lack-of-training-in-nursing-home-staff-can-lead-to-preventable-emergency-hospitalizations.html

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