Nursing homes have always had a hard time keeping people employed, as there is a high level of stress involved in managing the healthcare needs of elderly residents.
One of the key reasons for the shortage of qualified staff in nursing homes has been a gradual shift in recent years to turn nursing homes from senior care centers to senior profit centers. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) affirms that researchers are now signaling that just over 70% of U.S. nursing homes are now owned by larger corporate companies, who are looking to maximize profits for stakeholders. Thus, keeping staffing levels in the United States at the minimum required levels is becoming the norm for major nursing home owners in order to keep revenues and operating margins high.
If you have seen a decrease in the number of employed workers at your loved one’s nursing home, then contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to investigate if the nursing home is playing by the rules. Call our office today at (800) 842-6336 for more information.
Michigan Laws on Understaffing
Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) §333.21720 explains the staffing laws for nursing homes in the State of Michigan. To have its license from the state, a nursing home must have a verified registered nurse to serve as the head of all the nurses. Additionally, at least one licensed nurse shall be on duty at all times.
Collectively, a nursing home is required to have enough continuous 24-hour nursing care and services to meet the needs of every patient in the nursing home. Also, a nursing home must have staff sufficient enough to provide at least a daily amount of two and a half hours of nursing care per patient.
The law stipulates that nursing home staff members are required to care for no more than eight residents per one worker during morning shift hours, no more than twelve residents per one worker in afternoon shift hours, and no more than fifteen residents per one worker during nighttime shift hours.
Understaffing in Nursing Homes
If you are a family member seeking nursing care for an aging parent or relative, nursing homes may be the first place to research. After all, many older seniors can live restful, fulfilling lives in nursing homes.
However, if understaffing in a Michigan nursing home becomes a problem for a family member, it can lead to big consequences affecting their physical health and mental health.
Nursing home residents can find that their lives may be impacted by nursing home understaffing. An understaffed nursing home may mean that:
- Residents may not receive medications when they are supposed to
- Residents may not get meals at the promised times
- Residents may fall and have no staff members available to help them up
- Residents may suffer dehydration from not getting the water they need
- Much more
All of these signs may be a strong indication for those who have placed their elderly person in a nursing home’s care. A potential path for some sort of solution may lead to hiring a Detroit understaffing lawyer to sue the nursing home for negligence, possible abuse, and maybe even fraudulent practices on the resident’s behalf.
If you believe that this is the path for you to take to help your loved one, then contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to learn more about the legal steps necessary to bring a lawsuit.
For a free legal consultation with a Understaffing Lawyer serving Detroit, call (800) 794-0444
Reasons for Understaffing
In recent years, national chains of nursing home companies were setting up locations in parts of the USA, where large amounts of older seniors were living. They predicted that more older people would end up in their nursing homes in the next 20 years.
This growth of older Americans is the main reason for this growth of the nursing home business. The U.S. Census Bureau states that in the coming decade, there will be higher numbers of older adults than there will be children. In fact, there will be some 77 million Americans over the age of 65 and about 76.5 million children under the age of 18.
With more older people in our society, we will need more senior care homes for them to live in. The vision sounds good, but nursing home owners and state regulations for nursing homes have led to severe cost-cutting by companies that own nursing homes. This cost-cutting creates employee shortages and leads to understaffing issues, which can severely impact a nursing home resident.
Among the types of negative consequences that can come about in a nursing home without proper employee oversight and staff monitoring practices include:
- Elder abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Malnutrition
- Poor hygienic practices
- Confusing over changing staff members
No one would ever want their loved ones to be in an environment where these conditions would accumulate. In fact, that is what is leading younger members of the family to consider ways to sue a nursing home for neglect, abuse, understaffing, and more.
If your family is paying for the care of an older senior and yet you are seeing possible signs of abuse from understaffing in a nursing home, then it is your duty to protect your loved one’s legal rights.
Consider consulting a Detroit understaffing lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm. One of our professional team members will be able to help you prepare a plan toward filing a lawsuit against the nursing home. Call our law firm at (800) 842-6336 for a no-fee consultation.
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