MASSACHUSETTS NURSING
HOME ABUSE LAWYER
IN NEW ENGLAND?

Nursing homes have an obligation to provide your loved one with proper care and treatment. When residents are deprived of the care they need, injury or even death can be the sad result. When we prove that nursing home staff have acted negligently, they may be found liable for damages. If any of the circumstances listed below were a factor, your case will only gain momentum.

Negligent hiring. Nursing home administrators are required to hire properly qualified nurses and other staff members. Thorough background checks should be done on all potential employees, and eligible candidates must have a record free of violence or abuse. When employees aren’t properly researched before hiring, then nursing home residents are put at risk. This could result in the nursing home being held liable if the employee neglected or abused a resident. Understaffing. A nursing home’s staff should be sufficient to meet the needs of each and every resident. According to the CDC, there should be 1 staff member to every 1.64 residents in a nursing home. Tragically, this often isn’t the case, and many nursing homes remain understaffed. Administrators at times reduce employees to cut labor costs in order to increase their own profit. This is unacceptable and puts the health and safety of residents at risk. Understaffing leads to employees becoming overwhelmed and exhausted; they might have to work long hours and skip mandatory breaks. This can lead to necessary tasks being overlooked. Your loved one and their fellow residents rely on the staff to provide them with all of their daily needs; understaffing prevents all residents from getting the care they deserve. If a resident is injured or dies due to understaffing, the nursing home may be held liable. Incompetent or inadequate staff. Employees should be educated on how to meet the complex health care needs of their patients. Nevertheless, facilities often don’t hire enough licensed and registered nurses, leaving patient care to unskilled aides and other staff members who haven’t been properly trained. At times, especially overnight, a supervisor isn’t on-site. The nurses or aides are thereby left on their own to handle emergencies. It is the patient, your loved one, who pays the price for poor staff training. If inadequate training has caused injury to him or her, the nursing home could be held accountable. Third-party responsibility. Nursing homes have an obligation to provide a safe living environment for every one of their residents. This includes protecting them from other residents or visitors. In the case where a resident is injured by a third-party, the nursing home could be found liable if they failed to take measures to prevent the injury.