According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 1.4 million nursing home residents in 2014. Additionally, the Family Caregiver Alliance reports that the five types of care facilities— adult daycare centers, home health agencies, hospices, residential care communities and nursing homes—assist more than 8 million people annually.
Do you have a loved one that needs to reside in a nursing home? Our loved ones mean the world to us. We would do anything to make them happy including researching the best care for them. Ask staff and administrators the following questions when searching for a nursing home.
The first thing that you want to inquire about is her staff’s education. What kind of experience and education do they have? Is continuing education available to them on an ongoing basis? Are they up to date in new medical techniques and care giving techniques? The next thing that you’ll want to inquire about is what the caregiver-to-resident ratio is. You want your loved one to have interactions with the same set of caregivers each day because it promotes stronger bonds and ensures that the caregivers really get to know what your loved one needs and wants.
You’ll also want to inquire about how the staff is trained in handling special conditions. Do they have training and experience working with residents who may have Dementia or Alzheimer’s? Do they know the signs, and are the able to handle any obstacles?
Finally, you’ll want to ask about the care they offer. Is staff trained in infection prevention? How about preventing bedsores or ulcers? What about best hygiene practices? These are all things that should be included in the care plans for residents. They are also all important factors in determining what facility your loved one resides in. You don’t want them somewhere where the staff are inadequately trained. Watch the video to learn more.
If you have questions about what questions to ask nursing home administrators, please contact our nursing home abuse attorneys by email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse lawyers are here for you. You may also find more educational videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.
The CDC or Center for Disease Control has a lot of guidelines on preventing infections. One set of guidelines involves the questions you should ask your nursing home about infection prevention. You want to become familiar with their protocols and how they handle that situation.
Let’s start with one point. Nursing homes are known for spreading infections. Many of the residents are elderly, and has such, may have a hard time caring for themselves. What is the nursing home staff doing to prevent infections from spreading?
You want to ask what their protocols are and how they are enacted. You want to ask about their time frame for protocols. The next question you’ll want to ask is about the staff. What are their credentials? How are they being trained, for what kinds of practices or conditions, and for how long? Do they receive continuing training and education?
What about flu shots? The flu can be devastating for the elderly and those in compromised health. Are staff and residents required to get flu shots? If so, how often? How does the nursing home handle hygiene? Do they use gloves and sanitize shared equipment regularly before using it with other patients?
Finally, you want to ask the staff how they handle infections. If an infection begins, are they going to notify you right away? How do they protect your loved one? You need to know the answers to these questions. Watch the video to learn more.
If you have questions about what you should ask the nursing home about infection prevention, policies, and procedures, please contact our nursing home abuse attorneys by email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse lawyers are here for you. You may also find more educational videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.
If you are a resident in a nursing home or you have a loved one who is a resident in a nursing home, then you need to be aware of the rights to which nursing home residents are entitled. There are a lot of rights that you receive as a nursing home resident for your protection. Let’s look at the most important five.
The first right is the right to respect. Staff should always respect you and your wishes. You should not be forced into anything. You should have control of your own schedule and control over what you choose to do with your day. If you aren’t getting this, then you need to file a complaint.
The next right is the right to freedom from nursing home abuse or neglect. If you are ever in a situation in which you feel physically, mentally, sexually, or verbally abused, speak up. It is your right. If you are not receiving adequate care, such as regular meals and hygiene practices, speak up.
The next right is the right to file a complaint. You should be able to tell the nursing home administration when you have a problem or complaint without being afraid of retaliation. You should never feel like you are unable to speak up because you fear adverse action will be taken.
The most important right that you have is the right to receive proper medical care. You should feel well taken care of in your nursing home. You should feel well-informed about any medical issues. You should not feel confused or out of the loop about what’s happening with your medical decisions at all. If you are residing in a home that is not respecting your rights, that’s a red flag, and you should speak to our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers in Chicago. Watch the video to learn more.
If you have questions about nursing home resident rights, please email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse attorneys are here for you. You may also find more videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.
Do you have a loved one that is residing in a nursing home? Do you trust that the facility is taking the utmost of care with your loved one? What happens when they break that trust? How can you expose what you believe to be untruths? Let’s take a look at the steps involved.
When you search for a nursing facility for your loved one, you are looking for a home that you trust will follow through with their promises of care. This is usually one of the statements that nursing administrators promise when you tour their facilities. They promise that they will take special care to meet all of your loved one’s medical and dietary needs. When they don’t deliver on the promise, it is a cause for action.
Let’s look at a previous case of mine. I had a woman come to me whose father had been staying in a nursing facility. She had found a home that she liked, and had moved her father to that home. She alerted the staff that he was at a higher risk for developing bed sores, and they assured her that they would take all of the precautions necessary. Within three weeks, he had developed bed sores.
The first thing that I did was to investigate his medical records. When searching through his files, I noticed that there was a lack of re-positioning notes. A re-positioning note is one that states the date and time a resident is re-positioned. This is important because if a resident is not re-positioned frequently, they are likely to develop bed sores. These are caused by too much pressure being put on the bony extrusions of the body. The client’s father developed bed sores that developed into sepsis, a blood infection.
After noting that there were no re-positioning notes, we took sworn statements from the nurses and staff. The nurse in charge of the patient’s care assured us that she did re-position him and that she didn’t make any errors. We took that statement, along with the lack of re-positioning records, to the nursing home administrator. We also took a look at the nurse’s files and saw that she had previously been reprimanded for not re-positioning patients. With all of this information at her feet, the nursing home administrator knew she was at an impasse. She had been caught lying, and she decided to settle the case. Watch the video to learn more.
If you have questions about what to do when you suspect a nursing home of neglecting your loved one or lying about the care they have been given, please contact us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers are here for you. You may also find more videos about nursing home neglect laws on our media page.
Listen as Attorney Yao Dinizulu explains what to do when you suspect nursing home abuse.
Nursing home abuse is a common occurrence. If you suspect nursing home abuse, there are immediate steps you need to take.
The first step that you need to take is seek immediate medical attention. Depending on the severity of the abuse, this can mean calling 911 or demanding that your loved one see a doctor immediately. You can’t waste time. The second step that you need to take is to gather evidence. This includes pictures of any injuries or sores, copies of medical records, and statements from witnesses. You’ll need this evidence to support your case.
You can also contact the Illinois Department of Public Health. Once you file a claim of nursing home abuse, the Department of Public Health will send someone out to inspect the nursing home. During their inspection, they will review medical records, interview staff and residents, and assess the nursing home’s policies. As a result of their investigation, the Department can make the nursing home pay fines for negligence as well as order the nursing home to implement a plan of care that targets the specific issues stated in your claim. Watch the video to learn more.
If you have questions about nursing home abuse and what to do if you suspect it, I want you to call me at 1-800-693-1LAW. I am a nursing home abuse attorney that is here for you. You may also contact me by email. Visit our firm’s media page, where you can view more videos and learn more about the signs of nursing home abuse.
Listen as Attorney Yao Dinizulu explains what you can do when you are being sued by a nursing home for debts accumulated by a deceased family member.
I once had a client who was being sued by a nursing home for the debt that her deceased father accumulated. She was already dealing with the passing of her father, and to add the new debt to her life only made matters worse. She told me of all of the negligence that had happened during her father’s stay. The nursing home was not taking care of her father.
Upon further investigation of her case, I found that the contract the home wanted her to sign called for her to sign her own name on her father’s contract on behalf of her father. Law students know that for a contract to be enforceable, both parties have to fulfill the promises outlined in that contract. In this case, the nursing home promised to provide adequate medical care to her father, which they did not. Their lawsuit was dismissed, but we were able to turn around and sue the nursing home for negligence. Watch the video to learn more.
If you or a family member has experienced nursing home negligence, I want you to call me at 1-800-693-1LAW. I am a nursing home abuse attorney that’s here for you. You may also contact me by email. Visit our firm’s media page, where you can view more videos and learn more about your case.
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