South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
Choosing the right nursing home for your loved one can prove to be a difficult task with so many factors involved. It’s important to look at costs, statistics and features. It also crucial to find a home with reliable and trustworthy staff to avoid nursing home abuse in Fort Lauderdale or elsewhere in South Florida.
Our Fort Lauderdale nursing home neglect attorneys understand the stress that accompanies putting your loved ones into a nursing home. We are equally concerned with the quality of care afforded by these mega corporations that are behind most of the nation’s nursing homes.
The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that roughly 450,000 elderly persons in a domestic setting were reportedly abuse or neglected during a one year study.
Florida alone has more than 650 nursing homes that care for over 82,000 residents. Florida also takes rank for having the largest number of elderly residents in nursing home. Most homes are operated as for-profit businesses by large corporations — private nursing homes can cost $40,000 a year.
Nursing home abuse can be difficult to detect as many patients suffer from dementia. According to Market Watch, roughly 1.5 million of our nursing home residents suffer from the disability. For this reason, and many others, it is important to fully research your options.
“In nursing homes, dementia is the greatest risk factor [for abuse] because the perps don’t imagine that the person feels abuse of neglect so they act with impunity,” said Kay Brown, a director at the Government Accountability Office.
Market Place offers you these important tips to think about when finding the right nursing home for your loved ones:
-Visit the nursing homes you’re considering, multiple times. Make sure some of your visits are in the evening hours, when staff thins out. Observe how the workers interact with current residents.
-Figure out the costs. This is an important factor to many of us, and it is important to pick a home with the right price and the right care. Remember that costs may be higher if your loved one suffers from a health problem, like Alzheimer’s, and requires extra supervision.
-Ask around. Talk to doctors and friends about local nursing homes. They may be able to offer some insight about homes they have used with their loved ones. There may be no one else able to offer such truthful information.
-Ask questions. Don’t be shy when visiting or calling potential nursing homes. Does the home do background checks on their employees? How do they report and record incidents? Ask to see those reports. Good nursing homes should have nothing to hide.
We understand the importance of caring for your loved ones, and we encourage you not to cut any corners when finding the right nursing home for them. You should always remain an active member in their daily activities to ensure they are being treated with respect and are enjoying their time among a comfortable atmosphere.
If you have suffered from negligent nursing home operations in West Palm Beach, Margate, Miami or Port St. Lucie, contact the Law Offices of Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez for legal assistance. Call 1-800-529-2368 for a free appointment to discuss your rights.