Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Realizing that an elderly parent needs to move into a nursing home to receive the level of care they need can be difficult — both emotionally for their adult children and other family members and in terms of finding a safe and high-quality facility. When you are looking at potential nursing homes in Orange County or elsewhere in Southern California, it is important to consider a wide range of factors. You should think about indicators of good care and safety at a facility just as carefully as potential red flags that arise during a visit. It is always important to visit ahead of time and to be sure that you have a chance to see a facility before staff members can fully plan ahead for a visit. In other words, it is important to be able to see any potential facility as it operates normally on an everyday basis.
Once you visit a facility, you should then pay attention to signs of quality care, as well as signs that safety could be an issue.
Indicators of Quality Care in a Nursing Home
Before we discuss some potential indicators of quality care in a nursing home in Orange County, it is essential to remember that abuse and neglect injuries can occur at any facility — even those with high safety ratings and all the right indicators. Accordingly, even if a facility seems great, you should always be aware of potential signs of abuse or neglect each time you visit. With that being said, the following are typically signs that a nursing home is providing a high quality of care to its residents:
- Low ratio of staff to residents, meaning that it seems that there are more than enough staff members to provide individualized care to residents at the nursing home;
- Residents seem to genuinely have positive relationships with staff members, and there is friendly communication;
- Welcoming community spaces where residents appear to be enjoying themselves;
- Facility is clean, including community areas and individual rooms;
- Sufficient medical staff are available to residents who require ongoing medical care, as well as for residents in the event of a medical event;
- Facility provides preventive care for residents, including regular vaccinations;
- Facility has clear infection control procedures;
- Employees who have worked at the facility for years (suggesting a low turnover rate among staff);
- Employees go through rigorous background checks before they are hired to work at the facility; and
- Nursing home has high safety ratings.
Warning Signs at Nursing Homes
You should be aware of red flags, or warning signs, too. According to U.S. News & World Report, the following are some obvious red flags that you should take seriously:
- History of safety or health violations;
- Long resident response times and other signs that there is an insufficient number of employees or staff members to care for the number of patients;
- High staff turnover;
- Lack of community spaces;
- Cleanliness concerns, including dirty areas or smells; and
- Unfriendly and/or disrespectful staff members.
Contact an Orange County Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Today
When you are looking for the right nursing home for an elderly loved one or trying to determine if a particular skilled nursing facility is providing a high quality of care for your elderly parent, it can be difficult to know precisely what to look for. Often, it is important to be aware of both red flags (or signs of potential problems at a facility) as well as indicators of a higher quality of care and a safe space for seniors. Ultimately, if you have any concerns at all, it is best to trust yourself and seek advice from one of our experienced Orange County nursing home neglect lawyers. Contact the Walton Law Firm today for more information about how we can help you.
See Related Blog Posts:
Los Angeles County Nursing Home Accountable for Choking Deaths
Nursing Home Neglect and Malnutrition
