Nursing homes in the country are safer than ever before and the number of complaints of foul treatment with the residents in these facilities has significantly decreased. However, there are still some nursing home facilities that haven’t improved their standards and continue to endanger the lives of their residents.
One of the most common issues residents of these nursing homes face is neglect. Neglect refers to the failure of the nursing home staff to properly care for the residents. There are a variety of reasons for neglect abuse and one of them is staff drug abuse.
Many people don’t realize that staff drug abuse is a very real problem and a number of nursing home employees fall victim to it. Most employers working at a nursing home facility recognize how important their job is to the well-being of their residents staying at the facility. However, some staff can become careless and start neglecting patients, especially because of drug addiction.
Nursing home facilities are full of prescription drugs that can be easily accessed by staff members. Narcotics like Dilaudid and morphine are also available in huge stocks. If staff members start using these drugs and develop an addiction to them, the residents who rely on them for care and supervision can experience neglect.
When nursing home staff is under the influence of drugs, they lose focus, react slower and may become disengaged from their responsibilities. This can put the residents under their care at risk.
Drug abuse can be damaging for the employees who become a victim to it, but it can also be harmful for people around them. Nursing home staff is expected to provide a high level of care to ensure the safety of the residents. When they are addicted to drugs, they are less likely to perform their duties at the best of their abilities. They may start neglecting those under their care. This neglect may range from failure to administer medication on time, malnutrition or dehydration of residents, failure to provide assistance when required and lax supervision of elderly residents.
Staff members who are addicted to drugs may also develop abusive behaviors towards nursing home residents. Residents may suffer physical abuse at the hands of staff that is compromised by the harmful effects of drugs.
Nursing homes are required to provide professional care to the residents at their facilities. If nursing home staff neglects or abuses the residents due to drug abuse, the nursing home facility will be equally responsible for the harm suffered by the resident. The reason is that they must adequately supervise the staff and not hire unqualified staff. Anyone who abuses drugs is unqualified to care for others.
Nursing homes should run criminal background checks as part of their hiring process. This can help them determine if the candidate was ever arrested by police for drug possession and refrain from hiring these people.
If you or your loved one has become a victim of nursing home neglect or abuse and suffered harm, don’t sit idle and contact nursing home abuse lawyers of the Shiner Law Group. You must file a nursing home abuse claim against the staff that was under the influence of drugs and as a result neglected or abused you or your loved one. This way, you may get compensated for the damage you or your loved have sustained.
For a free consultation of your nursing home abuse case, contact us at 561 777 7700.
