Study: The Majority of Nursing Homes Are Understaffed

Nursing homes are supposed to have enough staff members working so that they can provide adequate care for all residents simultaneously. Unfortunately, some studies show that this is not happening. For example, one study claims that roughly 94% of all nursing homes face understaffing issues. This does not mean they are understaffed all of the time, but it does increase the risks and shows how widespread this problem can be.

The issue with understaffing is that elderly residents can suffer injuries and other types of complications, even when the staff members who are on the schedule are doing everything they can to provide care. When someone is injured in a nursing home, family members often think that the staff members were negligent or simply did not help them when they needed it. But the truth may be that there were not enough staff members in the first place, so it was impossible for them to provide the necessary level of care.

Slip and fall accidents

For instance, elderly individuals may need assistance taking showers, making food or simply moving about the nursing home, such as going to dinner. If they do not get assistance and try to do these tasks on their own, they could suffer broken bones or traumatic brain injuries in a slip-and-fall accident.

Even if the staff members who were on site were helping as many residents as they could when the injury took place, the nursing home owner and operator may still be negligent. If they did not hire enough people or failed to put enough people on the schedule, then they have still created the dangerous conditions that led to this injury.

If you have a loved one who has been injured in a nursing home, be sure you know exactly what legal steps you can take.