Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
For quite some time, nursing home abuse and neglect studies have shown that older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia may be more vulnerable to various types of elder abuse, and it may be more difficult for them to make accurate reports of that abuse, as well. According to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, researchers contend that nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia need to be in facilities where “they are the majority” in order to have the best chance at quality care, yet most facilities in California “accommodate a heterogeneous population, where specialized training is limited.” In other words, most dementia patients at California nursing homes may be unnecessarily subject to conditions where they could sustain preventable injuries.
Dementia Patients Need to Be the Focus of Care
When an older adult has Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, and that person is residing in a nursing home, it is particularly important for that person to be in a facility where dementia patients are the focus of the care. According to the study, ADRD residents, or nursing home residents who have been diagnosed with “Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” are currently “dispersed throughout all nursing homes, with fewer than half in facilities where they accounted for 60% to 90% of the population.” In these circumstances, the quality of care for ADRD residents was of a lower quality than at facilities where they were at the center of the type of care provided by the facility.
A lack of optimal care, as the study describes it, and nursing home negligence are not necessarily one and the same. However, if research shows definitively that nursing homes need to consider the overall makeup of residents in terms of ADRD in order to provide necessary care to those residents, then circumstances could arise in which injuries affecting nursing home residents are linked to negligence. The recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, emphasizes that the number of nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is likely to grow in the coming years, so it is important for facilities to be proactive in the meantime.
Contact a San Bernardino County Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia who resides in a nursing home in San Bernardino County or elsewhere in Southern California, it is important to know how to spot signs of negligence. Even when staff members at a facility, or a facility itself, do not intend to cause harm to a resident, injuries can result from negligence and passive neglect. When you have any concerns at all, no matter how minor, it is important to seek advice from a lawyer who can help. One of our experienced San Bernardino County nursing home negligence lawyers can speak with you today. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us for advice or to file a nursing home negligence claim in Southern California. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.
See Related Blog Posts:
How Understaffing in San Diego County Nursing Homes Results in Resident Injuries
When are Bed Sores Caused by Neglect in Los Angeles County?
