Who do you report suspected nursing home negligence to?
My mother was in a nursing home only approximately 70+ days before experiencing bed sores from being left either in bed or wheelchair. Before the nursing home my mother was very active. She walked to the bathroom on her on although totally blind. She went up and down stairs at least twice a week and went out to lunch daily. Bed sores on her backside and skin breakdown on her right big toe led to 2 emergency room visits in 5 days. In the 2nd visit she was admitted to hospital severe dehydration and UTI and right big toe had developed gangrene not to mention MRSA infection. After a hospital stay of about 35 days my mother passed away. The guilt is overwhelming because I feel if I could have kept her at home she would still be with me. However, I also feel the nursing home was negligent in her care. Is there some regulatory authority I can report my concerns to?
14 Answers
Popular Questions
- My mom has Alzheimer's and she is in a nursing home. I get physically ill at the thought of going to see her and I have to force myself to go. Does anyone else have this problem?
- My older brother is emotionally abusing my elderly Mom. What can I do?
- Who do I go to when I find out that my elderly Mom was swindled by organized scammers?
A few things to review prior to this - Do you have documentation that you brought your concerns to the NH staff prior to her hospitalization? Did you discuss your concerns regarding her care, i.e. her bedsores to the Director of Nursing in those 70 days & documentation to support that you have? Was she eating and/or being fed regularly? Any documentation of discussions you had about your concerns will support your case.
I'm sorry to hear about your mom. Elderly folks have very fragile skin & that is a recipe for developing bedsores & skin breakdown. As with her toe, as folks age circulation is compromised & this too leads to skin breakdown & tissue death (gangrene). Reading your profile, your mom was 94 & perhaps her body was just tired, & her immune system couldn't fight off all the conditions that she developed prior to her death.
There are so many factors to consider. Wondering why she was placed there and how long she had been there prior to her hospitalization? Was she diabetic? Other illnesses like high blood pressure? Just trying to help you realize that her pre existing health prior to her NH admission was a huge factor in helping her overcome the issues that eventually led to her passing.
It's unfortunately common for elderly folks to develop dehydration and UTI's, as well as bedsores from frail skin and poor nutrition.
Please don't feel guilty. You cared for her as long as you could & made the right decision placing her in a NH to assure her safety. Many of us bear that guilt (myself included). My mom was 89 when she passed and at the end she started to develop pressure sores on her heels. I did bring it to the NH's attention & they did provide an alternating pressure mattress as well as booties for her to wear and "floated" her heels to help keep the pressure off. As a RN it made me sick to see that my own mother was developing pressure ulcers but there was not much else we could have done.
I know it's not easy to cope with your mom's death. Please try to let go of the guilt you feel and celebrate the life you had together.
Prayers to you as you grieve.
What I witnessed in my fogged state was unbearable and I have regrets that I didn't stay over night there. She was walking when she went in. However, the staff, few who speak English, left most of the patients in bed all night. Never checked on them. When she finally was "dismissed" she had hideous bed sores, couldn't walk, and wanted to die. The last day there the "staff" taught me what I had to do. Taught me shots in 5 minutes. Then said they would send a nurse over the next day. That never happened. Mom was suicidal and in so much pain. I was crushing oxycotin pills to give her and felt so alone I almost thought about killing us both. Somehow I had the fortitude to hire a nursing agency after no sleep and they hooked me up with Hospice.
I have to say I witnessed so much during the time I spent there during the days. Patients would ask me for help. I only wish in hindsight I had stayed overnight. Lately I found Mom's notes on the place and since she was so lucid I realize she was terribly abused, maltreated, and the care was awful.
She survived a few months after this debacle and we're almost bankrupt now as the nursing agencies where I am are expensive and one learns they have a big profit motivation. When I'm through with everything I'm currently doing this will be addressed. People have said I have a law suit. The bed sores were awful. Some on her spine. Her buttocks. She never walked again. Luckily she didn't get C-diff or MERSA but I have since lost another friend to C-diff. That makes 4 where I am. Another issue to address at another time.
The thing is when you're going through this, especially alone, you're so overwhelmed. You don't operate at peak performance in your exhausted state.
My Mom passed peacefully at home and I learned what I had to. That being said, these places are a mess, need to be investigated, and yes, law suits are in order. I have a connection with my state to register all this. I don't want money because there is not enough to fix this in my heart. Just making people aware of how awful these places are for our loved ones. They definitely need to be held accountable.
I have to say something and this is not in defense of the facility or the employees but a bit of real life.
Bedsores are not just a result of neglect or poor care.
As a person declines the skin does begin to breakdown. The blood supply is not as good as it is in active people. The body is preserving the "most important parts" the core and brain so blood supply is more active there.
I had my husband at home. I got him up everyday. He had a shower everyday. I had a Hospice CNA 3 days a week. I had a Nurse in once a week. My husband was far from neglected.
Within 24 hours he developed a pressure sore on his right heel and started to get one on the left. We prevented it from progressing to an open wound but it sure did make me rethink the commercials I see with the "lawyer" that says ...if your loved one has suffered bedsores, falls..in a Nursing home call XXX-XXX-XXXX.
I am not downplaying what happened and it is possible that more could have been done to prevent your Mom's pressure sores.
And there is a good possibility that the MRSA was contracted in the hospital not the nursing home. MRSA alone is enough to make one that is already weak and with a poor immune system die.
My Mom refuses any thought of going to a NH, I support her wishes & at the same time fear any type of accident(& I can't be right there to see that this is addressed every day), she's 82. It is a very hard road to navigate for anyone(especially if you can't do the care yourself). Not mention the caregiver's ability to give & sustain diligent daily activities. You can only do the best you can.
Pray that IF an extended care facility is the only option, I would research the BBB for outstanding patient care, nothing less. I would be watching very closely for any signs of neglect OR abuse & bring ANY unwarranted action to the management's attention as Shane mentioned.
No one can predict the chain events that any person endures during the phase of going to a NH (that includes Mom & you) that is operated by total strangers. You can only be supportive, make sure your parent knows you love 'em, and have your own support system as well.
Remember Onlychild15, you loved your Mom, you did the best you could & you were blessed to have her in your life. Be good to yourself & many prayers to you during this time of grief.
Nursing homes are horrible places. And I am saying this as a registered nurse for 30+ years. They are for profit facilities that do the bare minimum so they can collect the maximum payments to make sure the CEO & upper level administration gets their huge salaries & bonuses. There is a lot of theft, deceit, insurance fraud & tax fraud that involves nursing homes. When 2 nurses have to take care of 80+ patients on any given shift, there simply cannot be quality, safe or effective care. Medicare doesn't care if someone sits in a wheelchair all day without being moved or walked. Most long term care facilities have developed "rehabilitation" units where patients get better quality care, more attention & have better staffing than the "nursing home" units of the facility because they get paid a lot more for short term rehab. If any short term rehab patients develop bed sores, the facility would have major problems with the state.
You don't say why your mother stayed in the LTC facility for 70+ days or why she was there in the first place. How often did you visit her & did you voice your concerns with any of the nurses, social workers or supervisors while she was there? I know your focus is on the bedsores, and that's fine because bedsores should never happen---but a much bigger issue is actually the severe dehydration, which should not happen in a LTC facility. Was she able to feed herself & drink from cups by herself, or did she require assistance? When you visited her, did you help her eat & drink fluids?
Did she live alone before she went into the LTC facility? Why did she go there in the first place?
You can contact agencies in your state. Find out who and what represents these people and write a complaint and I think you may have a law suit but if you're like me you don't have the strength to fight one. Prayers and love to you Only Child. Me too and there was no one here really for me. So don't feel guilty. You did the best you could. Your case sounds so much like mine. I have come to the conclusion no one gets better in these germ filled hell holes. Pardon my French, but it makes me angry.
See All Answers