As children of an aging baby boomer generation, many people are soon facing the decision of whether or not to place parents in assisted care facilities or nursing homes. This decision can be difficult but often made easier if family members feel confident in the level of care and professionalism offered by the facility. New York nursing home negligence lawyers are ready to act in situations where nursing homes injure residents or fall below the standard of care but for the most part, people hope they never have to consider that route.
One growing concern for the aging population is the labor shortage. Nursing homes are struggling to find enough direct-care employees to assist with elderly patients. There are a number of reasons for this shortage including low wages and risk of injury for employees. The work itself is also not always pleasant. Employees are expected to help residents in and out of bed and with personal hygiene.
To compensate for the shortfall, current aides often work over time and longer shifts. And the need for direct-care aides is only going to increase. It’s projected that by 2020, there will be a need for five million care workers, almost 50% more than 2010 levels.
One negative side effect of the unsavory work conditions is the high-rate of turnover and facilities with high turnover tend to have poorer care quality. This is scary news for nursing home resident and their families. Family member should be involved with the facility and look for signs of neglect that may result from low staff levels, including poor hygiene. Even if the facility is doing the best it can with fewer staff, this is no excuse for elder abuse. Victims of neglect or abuse do have a legal course of action to hold responsible parties accountable, recover compensation and make sure that the behavior is not continued.
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Low-staff levels hurt nursing homes, possibly residents
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Jay W. Dankner
JAY W. DANKNER was born, raised and educated in Brooklyn, New York. After graduation from law school in 1973, he joined the firm of the legendary, Harry H, Lipsig, under whose tutelage he learned the intricacies of civil litigation and trials. He tried and won his first case against General Motors in a case involving a design defect within weeks after his admission. Thereafter, he focused his attention on the emerging and developing field of law known as products liability litigation.
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