Having to put a loved one into a nursing home can be a difficult situation. It is made worse when your loved one appears to be the victim of neglect. while most New Mexico nursing homes do a great job of caring for residents, there are some that drop the ball. It may not always be easy to know if something is neglect or simply just bad care. It helps to understand the definition of neglect as defined by the government and those working in the field.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the government’s definition of nursing home neglect is fairly simple, stating that it is when a patient’s needs are not met due to failure on the part of caregivers to provide the services and goods needed. Such neglect causes the person pain, which can be physical or mental.
Those working in the filed have more specific ideas of what constitutes neglect. These ideas are often based on things the workers have seen and experienced personally while working in a nursing home. They are also things you might notice when visiting your loved one. Neglect includes missed physical therapy sessions, care not being done on wounds, not having teeth brushed or not being bathed. It may also be seen when your loved one is not changed if he or she is incontinent after every incident or if his or her call light is constantly ignored. There are many other situations where your loved one’s needs may be ignored or care is not given in the manner that it should which would also constitute neglect. This information is for education and is not legal advice.
