Medical slide boards, also known as transfer boards, are mobility aids designed to help those with limited mobility in transferring between two surfaces. These are flat, rigid boards, typically made of durable materials such as plastic, wood, or a composite. They act as a bridge between surfaces, allowing individuals to slide across rather than being lifted.

Although slide board transfers are intended to reduce the physical strain of moving patients, they can pose significant hazards when used incorrectly.

Our bodies have a unique ability to fight off infections. It might not seem like it when you catch a cold or flu, but the body is hard at work getting those germs pushed out. Unfortunately, the same immune system can sometimes overreact to an infection and will have the reverse effect. When that happens, sepsis can occur. That is a condition that, unless treated early, can lead to significant health issues and possibly fatality. For many families, a concern is if sepsis is considered nursing home neglect.

With an aging population living in assisted care facilities, falls are a major concern for these facilities. These accidents can have an impact on residents’ health and well-being.

Falls can lead to injuries, fractures, reduced mobility, and even psychological distress. Safety should always be the number one concern in these environments, making implementing effective fall prevention methods for nursing homes essential.

A medication error happens when a drug is improperly administered, or a doctor’s or manufacturer’s instructions are not followed. Medication errors in nursing homes happen far too often.

Key Takeaways:

• Medication errors in nursing homes can seriously harm or cause the death of residents.
• A medication error can be a wide range of negligent or deliberate actions. Many errors come from miscommunication, failure to follow instructions, or simple carelessness.
• Studies have found that most medication errors in nursing homes are preventable.
• A person who suffers a preventable drug error has legal rights. A nursing home abuse lawyer can help you explore options.

At least 1.6 million Americans reside in nursing homes, according to statistics published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). That same data suggests that nearly 50% of residents fall at least once per year in those long-term residential care facilities.

Many of those nursing home residents suffer serious injuries when they fall. Broken hips and blunt force head trauma, resulting in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), are some of the most commonly reported concerns that stem from these incidents. These injuries are painful, often requiring surgical intervention and extensive rehabilitation. They can also leave behind long-term impacts and even prematurely claim residents’ lives.

We finally break down and put our loved ones in an Illinois nursing home; we often do so because we expect them to receive the around-the-clock support and skilled care we can’t provide them. Like any other business, a Marion nursing home may not live up to expectations. A single staff member may be negligent or abusive of your nursing home resident loved one, causing harm they shouldn’t have had to endure.

Learning that your loved one has been subjected to mistreatment they shouldn’t have can be hard to come to terms with. You likely want to ensure that your relative nor anyone else has to face the same mistreatment again. One way to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself is to report what happened to the appropriate authorities to do something about it. Below, we’ll answer the question, “Where do I file a complaint against a nursing home in Illinois?”

When you can no longer take care of your elderly loved one in your home, or they can no longer take care of themselves in their own home, you might make the decision for them to live in a residential care home. A residential care home is slightly different than a nursing home or a long-term care facility.

Entrusting yourself or your loved one to the care of a nursing home facility should not come with the fear of mistreatment or assault, but studies have shown that approximately one in 10 older adults living in a community environment is a victim of abuse. Elder abuse is a serious and harmful threat to individuals who reside in nursing homes, affecting both the residents themselves and their network of friends and family.

When you decide to trust a nursing home with the care of your elderly family member, you expect them to provide them with at least the standard of care that you would give them. Sometimes, they don’t give them the same quality of life that you want them to. While some of their shortcomings aren’t considered abuse and neglect, others are.

One of the biggest complaints that nursing home residents have is that staff has a slow response time. This can be from understaffing and overworking of the staff, which can be from genuine lack of time, but it can also be as a result of nursing home abuse. Let’s take a look at what slow response times can mean for patients and what you can do for your loved ones in long-term care facilities.

When it comes time to move a loved one into a nursing home or independent living facility, you expect that facility to provide them with quality care around the clock. When people think about injuries and instances of failing staff, abuse often comes to mind first; however, neglect is often a bigger problem in nursing homes.

It’s important to understand how neglect is a unique issue many nursing home residents face, what the signs of neglect are, and how negligent facilities can be held accountable for their actions or inactions. Let’s start by going over how neglect is legally defined in a skilled nursing facility in Marion.