Sadly, nursing home neglect occurs far more often in the state of Florida than it should. The fact that some of the most vulnerable members of society, the elderly and the infirm, can be victimized in this way can be very disheartening. Preventing nursing home neglect requires being keenly aware of the telltale signs of this abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, things like mergers and acquisitions in large nursing home companies may compound these problems.
The impact of nursing home mergers and acquistions
As you may know, the top priority for most businesses is creating profit. Sometimes, this profit comes at the cost of quality and dependability when corners are cut. In extreme cases, this cost-cutting can even physically harm the customers. Sadly, this sometimes appears to be the case with mergers and acquisitions in the nursing home industry that actually result in an increased rate of nursing home neglect.
While the causes of such horrendous increases can be complex, specific factors may drive these trends for nursing homes that do consolidate. These include:
- under-staffing
- reduced pay for staff
- elimination of seasoned staff
- poor training for new staff
- fewer resources
- mismanagement introduced by restructuring
- reduced effectiveness of merged HR departments
The signs of nursing home neglect
Overall, it’s imperative to remove nursing home abuse and neglect no matter the root cause. After such a merger, signs of nursing home abuse and neglect can include:
- bed sores
- bruises
- burns
- cuts and welts
- dehydration and malnutrition
- fractured bones
- infections
- sexually transmitted disease
- weight loss
When such signs are detected, a patient should receive immediate help. If abuse or neglect is occurring, these symptoms can’t be ignored. It can lead to pain, anguish, serious illness and even death.
Overall, it’s incumbent upon everyone in society to protect the most vulnerable members of society. This includes the elderly and infirm within nursing homes. Unfortunately, abuse and neglect can occur, and they can be caused by problems resulting from the mismanagement and poor planning that goes into the mergers and acquisitions of nursing home companies.
