Nursing homes are tasked with a big responsibility: adequately and safely caring for your elderly loved one. It’s a duty that they should take seriously, but far too often they fail to do so. This is wholly unacceptable, especially given the stakes involved. Nursing home neglect and abuse can leave your loved one in a tortured state, suffering from agonizing physical and emotional pain. If you’re loved one was subjected to nursing home abuse or neglect, then you need to know how to build a case against those who hurt him or her. Your first stop may be analyzing their initial assessment and care plan.
Florida’s requirement for a care plan
Florida has a number of regulations related to nursing homes and nursing home care. One of the regulations speaks to care plans. In short, every resident who is admitted into a nursing home must undergo an evaluation to determine their ability to function, and their diagnoses, doctor’s orders, medical history, and a nursing evaluation must be gathered. Together, this information should provide whoever is giving that individual care with a clear sense of what his or her limitations are, and what must be done from a care standpoint to protect their safety and wellbeing.
The care plan and consultation
Under this regulation, a nursing home resident has the option to participate in the development of the care plan. A family member can help, too. But these individuals should also be included in the implementation, revision, and maintenance of the plan as well, should the resident choose to participate in those procedures.
The duty to know and comply with care plans
Nursing homes and their employees are required to know about a resident’s care plan and have access to it. This means that these workers should have a clear understanding of how to care for a resident with the ability to consult the care plan and all information within the plan when needed.
Care plan errors can lead to nursing home neglect
If a nursing home fails to develop, revisit, implement, or maintain a care plan, then the chances of your loved one being subjected to neglect is probably increased. The same holds true for plans that have inaccurate or missing information, as well as those that aren’t easily accessible to nursing home workers.
So, if your loved one has been harmed in a nursing home, then you might want to consider how best to prove a nursing home negligence claim. Starting with a close analysis of your loved one’s care plan and any errors pertaining to it might be a good start.