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When deciding whether to place a family member into a nursing home, most do not know where to start. Many will research and visit places that at first glance look like clean, caring facilities, but turn out to be substandard homes that injure or neglect residents dependent on them. When asking why nursing homes would allow abuse and neglect to occur, most families don’t realize the true nature of most nursing homes in the United States today.

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Nursing Homes = Corporations

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A common misconception most have is that the physical building where a resident stays is a single-facility entity. Gone are the days where small facilities tailored themselves to their local community. While there are a handful of facilities that are non-profit, single-building entities, most nursing homes today are for-profit institutions that belong to nationwide corporations.

 

These for-profit facilities are just that--for profit, which can cause overshadowing of what should be their most important concern: providing care that promotes a resident's highest well-being. The majority of for-profit facilities are reimbursed by the Medicare and Medicaid programs on a per-resident basis, which means these corporations have incentive to maximize population while minimizing their operational expenses—even if that cost-cutting comes at the expense of resident well-being.

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Understaffing to Cut Costs

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The primary means of cost-cutting is not utilizing enough staff or using staff that are under-qualified and therefore cheaper. Staffing is the highest operational cost in for-profit nursing homes. Some corporate-owned facilities will impose limits on the number of nursing staff they employ, resulting in less people to respond to resident needs. Alternatively, some will offer substandard wages that attract under-qualified employees.

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The consequence is residents not receiving sufficient care from qualified professionals. This can lead to sparse checks on residents, less assistance with toileting, feeding, and bathing, and the lack of adherence to safety measures when helping a resident move. Ultimately, this can lead to neglect, injury, and even death.

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Intentional Failure to Report Abuse & Neglect

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When abuse or neglect inside a nursing home is suspected, the facility is required to respond. The response can include opening their own investigation and even contacting the local authorities if the resident has been injured. Unfortunately, because most for-profit facilities rely on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, some will purposefully fail to report abuse of their residents and even hide the misconduct of their staff. Nursing homes that do so make a distinct choice to put revenue over residents.  

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Just Ask an Attorney

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Not all long-term care facilities, whether they be nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or personal care homes put the desire to maximize profits over the well-being of their residents. There are, undoubtedly, good, well-meaning facilities with staff who truly care about their residents. However, when a facility forgets what should come first, the people relying on them are the ones who suffer.

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Don't put a loved-one in a situation that can lead to harm.

So before you make a decision, just #AskAnAttorney

 

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