Nursing Home Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect Informational Resource
Nursing Homes
Nursing Homes are required to have medical directors and physicians who supervise and are responsible for the medical care provided in the facility. Nursing homes can administer medication but the medications can only be administered by a medication aide, licensed vocational nurse (LVN) or registered nurse (RN).
Review medication with staff. Medication errors are very high and extremely dangerous. Make sure that the medication aide has a photograph of your loved one on his/her medication chart. It is a huge problem when medications are dispensed to the wrong resident and a photograph can sometimes be a lifesaver. If the physician orders a change in your loved ones medication, be sure to check that the change is noted and the proper medication is being given.
Video Monitoring
Ask the facility whether you can place a video monitoring system in the patient's room. Some cameras can be set up to be attached to a computer at your location so you can monitor your loved one at any time (like those systems used to monitor children in daycare centers). If you are told that placing a video camera in the room is a violation of the residents rights, then tell them that your loved one agrees to having the camera and, if there is a roommate in the room, the camera will be focused only on your loved one. See how the facility responds to your request. Videotaping may lead to an improved quality of care, but it is not without significant legal questions which to have date not been resolved.
Beware: Be very skeptical of advertising and slick brochures.
Insufficient Staffing
The most difficult problem that confronts families and the largest single cause of abuse and neglect of residents is the lack of sufficient staffing. NCCNHR has promulgated and promoted the following minimum ratios for nursing aides:
Day shift - One aide per 5 patients
Evening shift - One aide per 10 patients
Night shift - One aide per 15 patients
Problems and harm to patients tend to occur when ratios are higher than these suggested. Based on these numbers, the amount of care given by the nurse aides is as follows:
Day shift - 3 aides x 8 hours = 24 hours
Evening shift - 2.5 aides x 8 hours = 20 hours
Night shift - 1 aide x 8 hours = 8 hours
Total nurse aide hours = 52 hours
52 hours divided by 30 patients = 1.73 hours per patient per day
