To your loved one, the days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day may have been like any other. She may have woken up in the nursing home in the morning with the fair expectation that her needs would be met and you may have taken extra precautions during this time to make sure she was able to enjoy the holiday season. What neither of you knew then was that your loved one’s life was at risk.
How Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Can Happen Over the Holidays
The holidays may be a particularly dangerous time in some nursing homes because:
- The regular staff may be taking vacation time. Substitute staff may not have known that your loved one had a fall risk assessment completed and was at risk of getting hurt in a fall, that your loved one needed help eating, or that your loved one had recently had a medication change.
- Staff may be distracted. Even regular staff who knew your loved one well may have made a mistake. They may have been thinking about their shopping lists, their travel plans, or their next party. They may have forgotten to check in on your loved one regularly or provide her with the right medication at the right time.
- The facility may not have enough staff to adequately care for all residents. The nursing home may have had trouble finding enough people to work. If they were short staffed, then your loved one may not have had the reasonable care that she deserved.
Of course, other types of nursing home abuse and negligence that occur every day and every month of the year may also still occur during the holiday season.
What to Do If You’ve Lost Your Loved One
If you have lost a loved one during the holiday season then you probably have a lot of questions. You may want to know what specifically caused your loved one’s death and whether it could have been prevented with reasonable care. You deserve answers to these questions.
Has Your Loved One Been Injured In A Nursing Home?
If you believe your loved one is being subjected to nursing home abuse you need to speak with an experienced Kentucky nursing home neglect attorney as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our office directly at 888.450.4456 to schedule a free consultation.
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