When Floridians and people across the nation want to ensure an elderly loved one gets the care he or she needs, they will consider an assisted living facility. Compared to a nursing home, residents in assisted living facilities are better able to look after themselves. Still, they do need to have a safe and clean place to live and a caring staff to make sure they maintain their health. Unfortunately, there are often allegations of mistreatment and lack of attention. This can happen in a variety of ways. Knowing how to spot it and understanding what to do about it is imperative.
Caretaker at assisted living facility complains and resigns
According to the Charlotte Sun, a local assisted living facility had mold and the residents were subjected to various forms of mistreatment. The caretaker who complained about these issues was worried about the safety of the residents and was unhappy about how the residents were cared for. She resigned after having been employed there for about a year. One factor was a 90-year-old female resident whose room had mold. Much of it was in the bathroom and there was a significant amount of it. It extended to her bedroom.
The caretaker informed management because the resident suffered from dementia and was unaware of the mold. Still, the woman was not moved for three weeks. Instead of taking the necessary steps to properly fix the problem, the facility tried to use a product that is labeled as effective at reducing dampness. The facility released a statement saying that no residents showed negative health implications from the mold. The statement failed to specify what the facility did to address the mold. Mold can lead to illnesses and older people are especially vulnerable.
Addressing dangerous conditions, abuse and preventable illness in assisted living facilities
Mold and other dangerous living conditions can negatively impact resident health and safety. There are many other potential areas of mistreatment including failure to give the resident the necessary medication, not making certain their nutrition is adequate, failure to maintain cleanliness, not treating bedsores and outright physical, mental and emotional abuse. Relatives should be cognizant of the warning signs of mistreatment and negligence and take the necessary steps to recover compensation for wrongdoing. Consulting with a law firm that has experience in assisted living facility abuse and neglect may be helpful to deal with these and other problems.
