You should locate at least one occupant that you can visit in the facility. This will assist you in assessing the facility exclusive of a guided tour. Walk up and down the halls and talk to bedridden people and individuals who are wheelchair bound. As you converse with them, check out their grooming, skin quality, nail care and oral care. See if the residents appear cheerful or if they are down in the dumps. If nearly everybody you talk to is bemused and not capable of not having a normal discussion, this might be grounds for apprehension.
Because many nursing home residents have limited abilities to communicate, identifying potential abuse requires careful monitoring.
Look for the signs of nursing home abuse in your frequent visits to the nursing home or assisted living facility.
Signs to look for if you think nursing home abuse or negligence has occurred include the following:
?Injuries requiring emergency treatment or hospitalization
?Any incident involving broken bones, especially a fractured hip
?Any injury or death occurring during or shortly after an episode of wandering (including outside the facility) when the staff is not aware that the resident is missing for some period of time
?Heavy medication or sedation
?Rapid weight loss or weight gain without physician or family notification and a change in treatment being provided
?Unexplained or unexpected death of the resident
?One nursing home resident injures another resident
?Resident is frequently ill, and the illnesses are not promptly reported to the physician and family
