Nursing home abuse and neglect continues to be a problem in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation. The precise causes of nursing home neglect are still unknown, but lack of training and supervision stand at the top of the list. The qualifications for working in that kind of institution are not as rigorous as for a nursing staff in a hospital.
The wages paid are also not high enough to attract top-caliber workers. With these general problems, the fact is that the industry makes a profit and charges large fees for an institution's services. In some respects, therefore, legislation in each state should be examined and beefed up to compel nursing home proprietors to go the extra step in assuring a level of competence that is required across the board. One of the problems that children and family members have with the placement of an elderly loved one in a nursing home is that they cannot always tell that neglect or abuse has been occurring.
They must research each institution carefully and determine what it may have in the way of a track record. Obviously, a nursing home with a list of prior problems cannot be trusted or used unless it can't be avoided. One solution that some institutions, and even the families of nursing home residents, have used successfully is the surreptitious placement of video equipment in the patient's room.
Families of residents have done this, and many have obtained proof of shocking abuse. With that kind of proof, the patient and/or the family will likely succeed in making and pursuing a claim. The law in Pennsylvania requires proof of negligence by the nursing home workers and/or management. The best way to know whether a claim exists is to consult with an attorney who is experienced in nursing home neglect and abuse.