9 Warning Signs of Nursing Home Negligence

Nine Warning Signs of Nursing Home Negligence. We trust nursing homes to take care of our loved ones when they
are at their most vulnerable. When nursing homes and their staff break your trust and break the rules, you need the
experienced and dedicated Missouri and Illinois nursing home negligence lawyers of Burger Law to hold them
accountable. We will fight for justice and the dignity of your loved one, and will not rest until you are fully
compensated. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case
evaluation. When you hire Burger Law, we start working on your case right away and do not charge any fees until we
win your case.

The 1987 Nursing Home Reform
Act guaranteed a standard of care for nursing homes and a Bill of Rights for nursing home residents. While
certain cases of neglect, like the presence of bedsores or the use of restraints, have diminished since the Act was
put into law, Missouri and Illinois nursing homes and their staff still sometimes break the rules and commit nursing
home negligence or abuse. If you have a family member or loved one in a nursing home, you want to feel like they are
in trustworthy hands. While Medicare has a nursing home checklist to
help you choose the best nursing home for your loved one, you may still want to be vigilant in ensuring they are
getting the care they deserve.

9 Warning Signs of Nursing Home Negligence

It can often be difficult to know if your loved one is being mistreated, especially if they have cognitive issues
like dementia or alzheimer’s disease or their physical health is failing rapidly. However, there are nine warning
signs you can look for to know when to your loved one is suffering from nursing home negligence:

1. Poor Personal Hygiene

   Nursing homes are required to wash their residents once daily if they can not do so themselves. If it does
   not appear that your loved one has bathed in days, this is a sign that the nursing home and their staff are
   not taking their responsibilities seriously.

2. Unclean Living Conditions

   This is worrying on multiple fronts. Firstly, the elderly are especially vulnerable to disease and viral
   infections. Common areas and bedrooms need to be cleaned daily to keep them safe. Secondly, if the staff are
   neglecting their cleaning duties, they are likely committing nursing home negligence in other parts of their
   job as well.

3. Unexplained Injuries

   Injuries are not always a sign of abuse or neglect, as our bodies become weaker with age. Studies show that
   about half of nursing
   residents fall each year. But injuries that neither your loved one nor the staff can explain are a troubling
   sign of nursing home negligence or abuse.

4. Changes in Behavior

   While cognitive decline happens to most of us as we age, it is usually gradual. Sudden changes in personality
   could be an indication of nursing home negligence. If your typically outgoing loved one all of sudden barely
   talks, or your usually introverted family member will not stop jabbering, it could be an indication that
   they are afraid and under emotional duress.

5. Financial Issues

   Nursing home abuse is not always physical. If your loved one cannot explain where their money is going,
   abruptly changes their will, has opened a new, phony account or is constantly buying gifts for someone who
   is not a family member, it could be a sign that someone is manipulating them and their finances.

6. Bedsores

   Bedsores are almost always signs of nursing home negligence. Immobile patients must be moved frequently, and
   they must receive proper nutrition and hydration to impede the development of bedsores.

7. Greater Confusion, Insomnia, or Sleeping Too Much

   These can be signs that they are receiving too much of their medication, or that their medication is
   otherwise not being properly administered. Missouri and Illinois nursing homes are required to only provide
   the correct dosage of a medication and too monitor any side effects. Failure to do so is a sign of nursing
   home negligence.

8. Your Loved One Has Become Immobile

   Nursing homes should provide walking programs and regular light exercise programs to help keep residents
   mobile and in good physical conditions. Suddenly not being able to get out of bed could mean that their
   nursing home is not providing the necessary programs.

9. Malnutrition or Dehydration

   Adequate water and nutrition is part of Nursing Home Residents’ Bill of Rights. If they are not receiving
   proper nutrition, they might experience sudden weight loss, cracked lips, dry mouth, a swollen tongue or
   extreme weakness.

What To Do If You Suspect Your Loved One is Experiencing Nursing Home Negligence

The first thing you need to do is get them proper and immediate medical attention. Then, you should contact the Missouri Department of Health & Senior
Services to file a report. In Illinois, you should call the Adult Protective Services Hotline at 1-866-800-1409.

After that, you need to call the Missouri and Illinois nursing home negligence attorneys at Burger Law. We have spent
decades standing up to bullies like neglectful nursing homes and will demand that you and your loved one are fully
compensated for all your expenses and pain and suffering. You and your loved one deserve justice and we will not
stop fighting until you get it. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us
online.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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