You should be aware of the standards a nursing home should be held to when you have someone you love living in one. This will allow you to check on them and quickly recognize if there is an issue during your visit. If you do spot signs of trouble, you should act fast. It is also up to you, as the loved one, to be their advocate, to be sure they are well cared for and have been placed in a caring, capable facility. Here are things you want to know when someone that you care for is in a nursing home:

How to spot abuse

It's important to always be on the lookout for abuse, since it is unfortunately something that does happen. If your family member that is in a facility has marks on them that don't look like anything they could have done themselves, or there is nothing in the chart about them falling or being hurt otherwise, then you may be dealing with abuse. You want to contact the ombudsman to let them know what your fears are, and you should also see about having them moved and contact an attorney.

What is negligence?

You need to know what negligence looks like if you are to spot it for yourself. Negligence is when the people responsible for your family member's care are negligent in a way that causes an accident, illness, or other negative physical or mental effects to your family member that could have been avoided had they had proper care. There are many people involved with the care of your family member, and if just one of them doesn't follow proper procedure, the outcome could be your loved one suffering. Negligence is very dangerous, and this is why it is so important for you to catch it if it is taking place at their facility.

How can you spot negligence?

Negligence isn't easy to spot, since you aren't at the facility 24/7. However, there are things to watch for. You should visit without giving the staff advanced notice, so you can catch them by surprise. You want to see that someone comes in when your family member presses their call button. You also want to see that they are well groomed and dressed properly when you arrive. You also want to see that their pain is kept under control and that they are getting regular range-of-motion exercise sessions if they are bed-bound. They should also be turned every couple hours, to avoid bed sores. If you have any concerns about their care, always contact the ombudsman right away and if you fear for their safety, have them moved. If anything should happen do to neglect, contact a medical negligence attorney right away.