Does the Nursing Home Have Enough Staff? Some Helpful Criteria

By Thomas Waitt Pleasant, Lawyer Handling Nursing Home Cases in North Carolina. Toll Free 888.435.7156. Here are some quick criteria (Adapted from the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform's "A Consumer's Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home." It can be used to determine whether a nursing home has adequate staff. Adequate staffing is critical to proper healthcare for the elderly nursing home resident. Understaffing can lead to all kinds of problems, including pressure sores, malnutrition and infections. To avoid ever having to deal with the prospect of a medical malpractice lawsuit, family members should consider these things before deciding which nursing home might be right for their loved one:

1. Do staff respond quickly to call lights or calls for help?
2. Have staff worked there long enough to call the nursing home residents by name?
3. Is the interaction between staff and the nursing home residents pleasant and respectful?
4. Are the same nursing home staff available every week?
5. Is there enough nursing home staff to assist each  the nursing home resident who requires help with eating without rushing any resident?
6. Are the nursing home residents helped and encouraged to drink at mealtimes?
7. Are the nursing home residents up and groomed daily?
8. Are the nursing home residents helped to move, walk, and use wheelchairs, walkers, and canes?
9. Does the nursing home look and smell clean?
10. Do the nursing home residents seem relaxed and generally content?
11. Does the nursing home staff spend time talking to the nursing home residents?

If you need assistance with a nursing home problem in North Carolina, contact my office. We offer a free initial consultation for nursing home cases. We handle nursing home abuse, nursing home injury, nursing home wrongful death, and other medical negligence and medical mistake cases throughout North Carolina, and have convenient meeting locations in Raleigh, Wilmington and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Toll Free 888.435.7156.