CHICAGO, IL – Understaffed nursing facilities and neglect dominate the long-term care industry. Residents are more inclined to suffer from a serious fall, choke on food, or miss their medication due to understaffing issues. Staff who are available are overworked and underpaid, leading to exhaustion and fatal mistakes.
No-Strings Attached Funding
Illinois news coverage has been filled with requests for an increased amount of state funding for private nursing homes in recent months. At the same time, the Health Care Council of Illinois asked for $486 million dollars, and want no-strings attached. The for-profit lobbying group opposes legislation from Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration allocating some of the money on hiring more staff and eliminating ward-style rooming, where patients can share the same room.
Investigations Show Ongoing Problems
The industry has a myriad of failures: failure in transparency and accountability in how public funds are put to use, failure to hire enough staff, and failure to reduce hazardous overcrowding. In 2019, Illinois ranked last in nursing home staffing levels.
Although nursing home facilities are pleading for more funding, investigations have shown that for-profit nursing homes still make donations to lawmakers and hide their profits by paying enormous fees via real estate companies and vendors that the owners of the nursing homes control.
What Can You Do?
If your loved one is in a nursing home, or you’re thinking of placing your loved one in a nursing facility, you have a good reason to be concerned about potential hazards. The most important thing you can do to protect your loved one is to keep a close eye on the conditions of the facility. Don’t hesitate to contact an experienced lawyer to help you understand whether there are concerning conditions of neglect.
Contact a Cook County Nursing Home Lawyer
If you believe that understaffing in your loved ones nursing home has led to negligent behavior, the lawyers at the Dinizulu Law Group can help you hold the nursing home accountable. We have extensive experience helping victims of nursing home abuse and their loved ones get financial relief and peace of mind. Contact our office for a free consultation today at (312) 384-1920.
