Staffing issues can create a dangerous nursing home environment

A nursing home should be a safe place for a beloved New Mexico resident to reside when their health and well-being prevents them from pursuing independent living. Nursing homes provide care and support for individuals’ medical, social, and occupational needs. When they are properly run and attention is given to their residents, nursing homes can be thriving and healthy facilities.

Unfortunately, staffing problems can create dangerous nursing home environments for residents. This post will explore some of the staff-based issues that can put nursing home residents in danger of suffering neglect at the hands of their caregivers. No part of this post should be read as legal advice and all readers with concerns for their loved ones can contact Albuquerque-based nursing home neglect attorneys.

Understaffing is a burden on nursing homes

One of the biggest staffing problems that nursing homes face is understaffing. It can be difficult to secure workers for all open positions in a large nursing home facility. When understaffing becomes an issue, too few staff members may be assigned too many residents to care for. When this happens, residents may be left alone for too long and may develop serious complications like bedsores.

Low wages may drive away good staff

Nursing home work can be fulfilling, but it does not always pay well. Many nursing homes struggle to pay competitive wages, and this can cause qualified workers to seek employment in other industries. When good workers cannot be maintained by appropriate pay, nursing homes may struggle to staff their facilities with quality employees.

Turnover may cut into staff training initiatives

When a nursing home facility struggles to keep workers or find qualified workers, they may have significant turnover in their staff. Constantly hiring and replacing workers can make it difficult to ensure that all employees are properly trained and knowledgeable about how to provide superlative care to residents. As workers come and go, it may become difficult for a facility to manage who has been trained and who has not received training on resident care. A lack of training can impact nursing home resident safety and health.

Shortcuts on background checks can put dangerous people in staff positions

Nursing homes must follow certain background check protocols before they may hire workers. Unfortunately, when workers are sparse and positions must be filled quickly, background check procedures may not be sufficient to catch all dangerous or dishonest individuals. When unsafe people are put into nursing homes to provide care for dependent residents, instances of neglect and abuse may result.

As readers can see, problems in staffing at nursing homes can create dangerous situations for individuals in need of care and support. When a family suspects that their loved one is suffering from neglect at the hands of their nursing home facility, they can take action and contact a nursing home neglect and abuse attorney. A legal professional in this field can help their clients understand their rights and options for keeping their loved one safe.