When you have an elderly or disabled loved one being cared for in a nursing home, it can be horrifying to imagine them falling victim to neglect or abuse. Unfortunately, many nursing homes in New York are understaffed, leaving the residents of these care facilities more likely to be overlooked or mistreated.
The understaffing of nursing homes is so dangerous to residents that it is now considered to be a crime. If someone you care about is a resident of an understaffed nursing home in New York, the nursing home abuse team at Dalli & Marino can help make things right.
Why Are So Many Nursing Homes Understaffed in New York State?
Many nursing homes will intentionally understaff their facilities to save on labor costs. However, this common strategy for making profits can be detrimental to both residents and staff. One case study revealed that a failure to meet the necessary nursing staff levels recommended by experts leads to quality of care problems, injuries, deaths, and violations of their rights to human dignity.
High resident-to-staff member ratios may seem lucrative to some nursing home owners and management, but these ratios are incredibly dangerous to the elderly and disabled residents who count on these facilities for their basic needs.
Not all nursing home facilities are intentionally shorthanded. Some care facilities have trouble finding qualified workers or struggle to keep them around. Nursing homes and care facilities with high turnover rates can cause staff members to be overscheduled and overwhelmed by their responsibilities. When this happens, both nursing home employees and residents suffer the consequences.
What Can Happen When a Nursing Home is Understaffed in New York?
As the ratio between staff and residents grows out of balance in nursing homes, so do the rates of abuse and neglect. Insufficiently staffed nursing homes can lead to caregivers and supervisors taking on unbearable stress. Strained nursing home employees may make it more likely that residents will suffer abuse and neglect. In some cases, abuse and neglect suffered in nursing homes may trigger psychological and physical health issues or death.
Understaffed nursing homes are unprepared to handle the needs of their residents, especially in times of crisis. New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report on her office’s ongoing investigations into the responses of nursing homes to the COVID-19 pandemic. She found that nursing homes with low staffing ratings had higher fatality rates than adequately-staffed facilities.
What Are the Effects of Nursing Home Understaffing and Neglect?
When a nursing home is understaffed, it can be impossible for nurses and nursing assistants to provide all of their residents with the level of care they require. Nursing home residents often suffer from limited mobility and cannot perform everyday tasks on their own.
These residents fully depend on their caregivers to use the bathroom and to fulfill all bathing, nutrition, and medication needs. Immobile nursing home residents also rely on nursing home staff to rotate them periodically to prevent muscle atrophy, bedsores, and other skin conditions or infection. The quality of life of residents who do not receive full attention from their caregivers may decrease dramatically.
Contact a Successful Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney in New York
Nursing homes must meet federal staffing requirements to meet the needs of their residents and ensure adequate quality of care. At Dalli & Marino, we help hold understaffed nursing home companies legally responsible for the adverse effects they have on residents.
If you have a loved one residing in an understaffed nursing home in New York, give us a call today at (888) 465-8790 or complete our contact form for a free evaluation of your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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