When you entrust the care of an elderly or disabled loved one to a long-term care facility—such as a nursing home or assisted living facility (ALF)—you expect dignity, safety, and professional oversight. Unfortunately, some facilities place profit over patient welfare, resulting in understaffing, inadequate training, and substandard care.
Distinctions Between Nursing Homes and ALFs
- Nursing Homes: Strictly regulated under federal and state laws. They must meet minimum staffing and care requirements.
- Assisted Living Facilities: Intended for people who need minimal day-to-day assistance. Unlike nursing homes, ALFs do not have the same comprehensive federal regulations. Increasingly, ALFs accept residents needing more care than they can safely provide—leading to neglectful or dangerous conditions.
Typical Neglect
- Falls: Due to lack of supervision, unsafe premises, or no fall-prevention programs.
- Choking: Often results from improper meal prep or inadequate mealtime oversight.
- Bedsores (Pressure Injuries): A red flag for neglect—immobile residents must be regularly repositioned.
- Medication Errors: Wrong meds, skipped doses, or harmful interactions from disorganized systems or overburdened staff.
- Dehydration & Malnutrition: Understaffed facilities may neglect hydration or nutrition monitoring, exacerbating health issues.
- Wandering/Elopement: Dementia residents left unsupervised can wander away and sustain injuries or worse.
- Infections: UTI, pneumonia, MRSA, or sepsis can spread quickly without strict infection control protocols.
- Physical or Sexual Assault: Failing to screen employees or supervise leads to environments where abuse can occur undetected.
- Understaffing: The root cause of most neglect, leading to missed call lights, poor hygiene, and hazardous living conditions.
- Failure to Transfer to a Hospital: Some facilities intentionally avoid hospital transfers to keep occupancy high, delaying necessary acute care.
Building Your Case
- Detailed Analysis: Reviewing facility records (staffing logs, medical files, complaint histories) and marketing claims.
- Expert Consultation: Nurses, gerontologists, and other specialists can confirm how the care provided fell below acceptable standards.
- Corporate Accountability: Many facilities are owned by larger chains; we examine corporate decisions (budgets, training policies) that prioritize profit at the expense of resident well-being.
