As time goes on, children become adults, and their parents become senior citizens. While senior life can be great, it sometimes means having difficulties taking care of yourself. If you or your loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect in Ohio, you have options. With that in mind, here’s more information about what constitutes nursing home neglect.
What is nursing home neglect?
The exact definitions of nursing home negligence vary from state to state. With that said, there are certain situations when neglect is punishable federally and at a state level.
Examples of neglect in a nursing home can include:
- Little to no food or water
- Poor patient hygiene
- Dirty clothing
- No timely care of any kind
- A lack of supervision
The differences between civil and criminal neglect
There are differences between civil and criminal neglect in a nursing home. For instance, the nurse in a short-staffed nursing home delivering food to patients 15 minutes late is unfortunate. But it probably wouldn’t constitute neglect. The same would apply to a staff member who came back late from lunch to deliver medications to nursing home residents once.
It’s a different story for nursing home residents who remain poorly cared for. Because nursing homes must provide adequate treatment and staff to care for patients, long-term neglect can lead to civil or criminal charges against these facilities and their staff.
In conclusion, nursing home neglect is a serious matter and often a crime. If found guilty of neglect, nursing homes can face financial penalties, removal of residents and other punishments. There was a recent case in which the negligence against nursing home residents was so severe, the guilty party received a seven-year prison sentence.