Maintenance of Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility
Ensuring proper safety in a nursing home or assisted living facility goes beyond the treatment that a resident receives from staff members. Proper safety measures should be taken in the facility itself; ensuring there are no dangerous areas of the facility in which a resident can suffer any sort of injury. In addition to safety, a facility must be easily accessible in areas such as bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and other areas of the facility. All stairways and exits must be clearly marked to avoid any injuries to residents if they wander off. Also ease of access through hallways is a must for individuals in wheelchairs.
Safety should be the highest priority in a nursing home or assisted living center. In the event of a fire hazard, staff members should always know where fire extinguishers are located and they should always be checked to ensure they are functioning properly. Independence should also be high priority in a facility. Staff members should always allow residents to be as independent as possible within reason. Independence does not mean allowing a resident to leave the premises by themselves, even for recreational purposes. Residents should always be monitored by staff members and guided during recreational activities in the facility. There are also a number of other things that you should ensure are secure and safe for your loved ones. These include:
- Bathing areas should have bathing devices available including hand rails
- Dining areas should be evenly spaced and walking distances kept at a minimum
- Floors in hallways and rooms should not be slippery
- Smoke detectors should be in working order all the time and should be placed in vital areas of the facility.
If the proper measures are taken to ensure the care of your loved one, there should be no reason for them to suffer any injury as a result of inadequate safety measures. Unfortunately, some patients in nursing homes are neglected and often left alone in their rooms or are not properly monitored in other areas of the facility. As a result, these individuals often suffer a debilitating injury. If this happens to your loved ones, they are entitled to compensation due to the physical and mental damages they incur as a result of their fall, including fractures to their hip or other bones.
The most common negligence is poor environment and the lack of adequate attention to each elderly resident. Doctors, nurses, medical assistants or any employee in a nursing home should care for your family member while in a nursing home in Arizona. You and your family may be entitled to compensation if the fall leads to severe injuries or more medical complications. An experienced Arizona Nursing Home Advocate Attorney can help you.
Contact an Arizona Nursing Home Advocate Attorney
Preventive measures are not always followed by employees in nursing homes; An Arizona Attorney in the Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale and Maricopa County communities can provide legal information if a loved one or someone you know has sustained injuries because of negligence and improper safety measures in a facility. For more information see www.nursinghomeadvocates.com.
