Orange County Nursing Home Lawyer – Common Concerns
So you’ve chosen a nursing home. Maybe you didn’t want to send your loved one there, but there was no other alternative with their increasing health needs and your busy lifestyle. You did your research, you visited the facility, you found the best nursing home for your mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa. You wanted them to be able to make friends and have peers to socialize with- you thought you had found the perfect place.
To help your loved one get adjusted, you were visiting every day, the nursing staff was talking to you, even though you noticed that some of the other elders living there seemed a little lonely, you were determined to be a good child and visit whenever you could. Things seemed okay at first, and then the gradual decline began. Your loved one had told you he didn’t like one of the nurses, but that nurse was always very attentive when you were around so you figured it was the old age. Then you started noticing, the gradual decline become a quick decline.
With every new health issue, a host of risks arise that the facility is supposed to evaluate and address. The family is supposed to be called in for an Interdisciplinary Team Meeting where the plan of care is discussed. It is important that you are involved in these meetings so that you can voice your concerns and make sure that they are being addressed.
If you feel that these issues simply swept under a rug, you need to contact a Orange County Nursing Home Lawyer. Some common concerns that Moran Elder Law sees are:
Common Concerns Moran Elder Law Sees:
- Not responding to call lights in a timely manner
- When you need something, a nurse is supposed to be just the push of a button away. If they aren’t responding when you are around, they likely aren’t responding when your loved one is left alone.
- Not providing the right diet/ lack of appetite/food preferences
- This presents a whole host of issues from malnutrition, weight loss, inability to fight infection, choking, aspiration pneumonia, dehydration. Diet is a basic necessity that everyone needs to survive. If your loved one has special diet restrictions or preferences, the facility must do its best to accommodate them.
- Preventing falls- floor pads, restraints, side rails, medications, lap belts
- Many people are not aware of the very serious consequences of falls in the elderly. If an elderly person experiences a fall and suffers a major injury such as a hip fracture, studies have shown that their mortality rate increases significantly in the year following the fall. It is important that you make sure the facility is doing everything they can to prevent injuries from falls.
- Changing diapers
- Many elders are incontinent of bowl and/or bladder and are put in a diaper. However, as with babies, they cannot simply be left sitting in filthy diapers for hours or they will develop a rash and skin breakdown. The moisture from urine and feces causes the skin to breakdown and can create open wounds. As soon as your loved one soils themselves, a nurse should immediately change their diaper. If you notice that your loved one is not being changed, check their skin to make sure that no sores are developing. If they are, make sure the director of nursing is aware and they develop a plan of care to address the skin issues. If not addressed, they can become open wounds that harbor bacteria.
- Activities and therapy
- The nursing home’s job is to prevent your loved one from declining as much as possible. They are required to have activities and provide therapy as ordered by a physician. This is important to keep your loved one active both mentally and physically.
For the “Most Esteemed” Orange County Nursing Home Lawyer look no further than Moran Elder Law for help with suspected abuse of your loved elder. With over 30 years of trial experience Moran Law is the Orange County best nursing home attorney representing victims of elder abuse and their families. We strive to change the nursing home industry for the better through zealous advocacy of our elderly clients.