Nursing home abuse is a terrible problem that is striking our country and leaving many of our sickest and neediest citizens helpless and in pain. Nursing homes are becoming more and more understaffed in the quest for a good profit margin, and the elderly residents of these nursing homes are the people who are suffering because of it. This danger is one that is heartbreakingly common, and one that should not be overlooked by families when looking into long term care facilities for their aging relatives.
It might seem insane to think that the very people who go to school for years in order to learn how to care for other people might be the very ones who are neglecting them, but nurse burnout is a terrible truth because of the way that our nurses are often treated themselves. Nurses are constantly overworked with far more patients than they have the time or ability to care for and told to do their best.
They are additionally dealing with patients who might be less than coherent and less than present mentally due to strokes or other medical conditions. This can lead to nurses having to deal with call buttons pressed constantly and adults who need to be cared for like infants.
When constantly overworked nurses and mediocre pay are combined with some of the neediest people in our society, things can get ugly. Nurses become exhausted and burn out, and many quit or go into different lines of work within a couple of years. Many other nurses become angry or frustrated enough to neglect or even outright abuse elderly patients in their care, especially when these patients cannot talk back or stand up for themselves anymore.
The best way to protect your loved ones when they are put into long term care facilities is to be there for them in every way. Be physically present for visits as often as possible to help the nurses see your relative as a person, and not as just another job, and to keep them happier and more comfortable.
While you are at the nursing home, talk to your elderly relatives if they are still capable, and find out if there have been any problems for them. You should know immediately if a call button is broken or if it took too long for your old mother to get a glass of water. You might be tempted to dismiss their complaints as exaggeration, however your relative might also have been neglected while you were away. It is always better to be safe and check in with the nursing staff to make sure that your relative's needs are being met.
Some of the other signs of nursing home abuse include mysterious injuries like bruises or broken bones. If a patient is having a hard time getting the attention or care that they deserve, they may become worked up enough to try to move from their bed to help themselves, sometimes resulting in falls and injuries.
In other cases, they may be subjected to other forms of abuse such as being strapped into their beds or actually being physically beaten by staff members. Do not assume abuse at the first sign of injury, but listen carefully to how it was supposed to have happened and watch for further injuries to your elderly relatives.
Dehydration is another thing to watch out for when it comes to nursing home abuse. Your relative's eyes should be moist, they should urinate regularly, and they should be able to produce spit. If they are being denied water, they could take a quick turn for the worse and pass away very quickly, so this is an important thing to watch out for, as is the parallel problem of malnutrition.
Bed sores also could be a sign that your relative is not being treated properly. If they are not being helped to turn over, they could develop painful sores that could even potentially become infected. Also watch for your relative's behavior around the nurses. If they flinch away or act fearful around the nursing staff, it might be time to consider a new facility.
Elder abuse and nursing home abuse in particular is quite dangerous and a very sad reality of our society. Being present in the lives of our elderly relatives and paying careful attention to their behavior can help us to keep them out of bad situations and keep them safe and as comfortable as possible.
In case you have been living in a cave, the reality is that the baby boomer generation is surging toward retirement age and the fact that there is a growing need to find a bigger work force to tend to the millions of boomers who will in the not too distant future need ongoing care due to age, illness or a combination of both. Baby Boomers will be facing a whole host of physical and mental frailties.
There will be huge increase in America's elderly population in the next few decades. The labor pool that has traditionally cared for these people made up mainly of woman from their mid-20s to mid-50s will hardly grow at all which will compound the problem of an existing work force that is earning low wages and has a high turnover rate.
Statistics prove that nearly 3 million people work in direct-care jobs who work mainly with the elderly as nursing assistants, home health aids and personal care aids.
Leading experts say that 1 million more health care workers will be needed in the next decade. And it gets worse. 3 million more workers will be needed by 2030 when all surviving members of the 78 million strong baby boomer generation will be older than 65!
Wages for direct-care workers as of 2005 averaged less than $10.00/hr. and one quarter or these workers have no health insurance! To make matters worse the Supreme Court as of summer 2007 ruled unanimously that the nation's 1 million home-care workers are Not entitled to overtime pay under federal law. This is a ticking time bomb for the millions of senior baby boomers who want to live at home instead of institutions.
Direct-care workers will be desperately sought after and with those low wages, many undesirable people will be hired like ex-criminals, thieves, etc. Baby Boomers will be robbed blind of their money and possessions as direct-care workers look at baby boomers as the haves and themselves as the have not's. Not only that but the boomers will not get the care needed to keep them alive.
Many facilities fail to provide the services necessary for patients to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness.
Official investigate nearly 4,500 nursing home abuse cases each year and the count keeps going up. The main reason is poor or no staff training or staff that has not been checked for having criminal backgrounds.
The biggest case found for nursing home abuse to date is an East Peoria nursing home that was fine $100,000 on Friday, 7-13-2007 for neglect and faulty care of mentally ill and elderly patients. As a result, three patients and two workers were arrested.
Police raided the East Peoria Gardens Healthcare Center in April and found evidence that mentally ill patients were out of control and elderly patients tormented.
In this investigation officials found numerous tell tale signs that elderly and mentally ill residents were falling and fatally injured, improper diagnosis, mentally ill patients choking to death on food. Numerous patients falling and later dieing from complications without and precautions put in place. In addition to nursing home patient neglect seven patients were admitted with criminal records after failing to do background checks.
Many families are now suspecting elder and baby boomer abuse and turning to technology such as advanced hidden cameras that will aid them in making sure their loved one(s) are being cared for properly by direct-care workers. But most are not.
Nanny Cameras now called Granny Cams or Hidden Cams are getting more and more sophisticated in catching nursing home abuse. Once the evidence is collected the authorities can be alerted and the workers sent to jail or imprisoned.
Glenn Freiboth has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Acid Reflux and Diabetes Treatment. GLC Enterprises, Inc., a Surveillance Equipment company is based in Illinois. Find Information about advanced technology to catch di. Glenn Freiboth's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.