Federal data shows many nursing home staffing shortages

One of the biggest reasons for nursing home neglect is not that the staff doesn’t care. It’s that they just do not have enough people on staff. Try as they might, they can’t get everything done and they can’t offer proper care to every single person in the nursing home.

The worst staffing levels in new reports showed up on the weekends. This could be because people decided to take time off or simply did not show up for their shifts.

Researchers particularly looked at the days with the biggest staffing shortages. On those days, workers had to take care of roughly double the number of residents that they needed to care for when everyone showed up for work.

You can imagine how a well-meaning worker may still neglect someone. They have the same amount of time to do twice as much work. Rather than responding to one emergency bell, they’re trying to respond to two.

There is just no way that the average worker can be expected to double their efforts and get twice as much done, all while adhering to the same high standards of care that the elderly deserve. It can’t be done. Staff members either do not get jobs done at all or they are forced to rush and cut corners everywhere, frantically trying to meet everyone’s needs at the same time.

Do you think that your loved one is getting neglected because the staff at the nursing home just can’t offer proper care? If so, you must know what legal options you have, as this can be a very dangerous situation.