Preventing Nursing Home Abuse
Review your loved one’s medical condition and medications with the Director of Nursing and the nurses. Medications errors are very high and extremely dangerous. Make sure that there is a photograph of your loved one on the medication aide’s chart. If a change is made to your loved one’s medication, check to make sure that the change has been noted. You should also review your loved one’s dietary needs and preferences with the Dietary Manager and dining hall staff. You should also check your loved one’s skin for bed sores on a weekly basis. Pay close attention to the areas of the body that come into contact with a mattress or seat of a wheel chair (buttocks, heels, hips, and shoulders). You should also have your loved one weighed on a weekly basis in your presence to determine whether he/she is well nourished and hydrated.
To prevent nursing home neglect you can also make sure that there is sufficient staffing on duty. The general rule is as follows: Day Shift = 1 aide per 5 patients; Evening Shift = 1 aide per 10 patients; Night Shift = 1 aide per 15 patients.
