The actual cost of care for those in a nursing home is astronomical. Unfortunately, the care received doesn’t always reflect the price charged.
It’s a well-known fact that more and more seniors will eventually need the services offered by a nursing home. The sad part is that the prices charged to care for seniors do not, in many cases, reflect the kind and quality of care residents actually get.
“The average cost of nursing care for one year in the US is $71,000, and for that kind of money, the family and the resident would expect a good level of care. What is happening instead is their family members are being abused and every day face substandard care because the nursing home is understaffed and overwhelmed,” outlined Barron, a Sacramento personal injury lawyer of the Barron Law Office in California.
In homes where the staffing is pushed to the straining point and people are hard pressed to keep up, there are often incidents of abuse and neglect. “Whether or not it is as a direct result of being understaffed, having inadequately trained staff or the abuse is isolated, it should not be happening. Aside from this being a human rights issue, where the elderly deserve to be cared for with respect and dignity, no one deserves to be abused in ‘any’ fashion,” added Barron.
Most of the nursing homes in the US are profit oriented and in many cases, just don’t have enough staff to handle their patient load. In fact, roughly 90% of nursing homes can’t keep up with the care demands of their patients. Not only are many employees overworked, but they are underpaid for the work performed, leading many of them to quit. There are actually some homes that see a complete staffing turn over every year. This is a recipe for disaster when it comes to caring for the elderly.
“Currently, there is a focused effort in Washington to try and make changes coming in the form of the Elder Justice Act. It sets aside hundreds of millions of ‘federal’ dollars to battle elder abuse. Its companion act is the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act, and it’s aimed at those in long-term care,” indicated Barron. There is a great deal of hope with the passage of these two Acts that elder abuse will be put to a stop.
In the meantime, if anyone suspects their relative is being abused or neglected, take those suspicions to a Sacramento personal injury attorney with experience in this area. “If you want to protect your family member and others from being harmed, we can help,” said Barron.
To learn more, visit http://www.lawbarron.com.
