Nursing homes have a legal duty to provide reasonable care to residents. If that duty of care is breached and the resident is hurt or killed, then the nursing home may have been negligent and may be liable for the injuries or fatality that was suffered. The ratio of nursing home staff to nursing home residents is one factor in determining whether the duty of care has been breached. However, it is not the only factor that is important in a nursing home negligence case. While adequate staffing is important, the staff members on duty must be reasonably trained to do their jobs.
What Is Reasonable Training?
Reasonable training needs to be defined on a case by case basis. For example, in-depth training specific to dementia may be necessary in facilities that accept patients with dementia, but may not be necessary in other nursing homes. Generally, reasonable training should include:- Training on the nursing home’s policies and procedures. This could include medication procedures, when to call a doctor, and how to keep records, for example.
- Training on what to do in an emergency. This could include a facility fire or medical emergency, for example.
- Training on what to do for specific medical conditions of nursing home residents. This may include patients with diabetes or dementia, for example.
- Training on how to avoid common accidents. This could include falls, for example.