Lack of Training and Aggressive Emotions Lead to Abuse

Many nursing home employees are not properly trained in the care of elderly individuals.  This is often due to the high turnover rate for nursing home employees.  In the rush to hire someone to alleviate some of the extra workload, a facility may choose someone who is not as qualified for the position as they would like if they had more time to review applications and conduct interviews.  These new employees may not intentionally harm residents, but their lack of training may cause them to make mistakes or neglect patients.  When a new employee is not properly trained and the lack of resources means they can’t be well-supervised during their first few weeks on the job, they may not tend to all of the medical or emotional needs of residents because they’re not sure what to do or they’re afraid of making a mistake.  This can lead to neglect and it can also cause nursing home residents to become ill because their medical needs have not been met.  In some facilities, there are controls in place and staff members are trained well, but abusive individuals slip through the cracks and are allowed to work with vulnerable senior citizens.  Nursing home employees may become frustrated because of a heavy workload or a particularly difficult patient and take their frustration out on a patient either physically or psychologically.  Angry employees may feel that their own lives are not going as planned and abuse or neglect nursing home residents as a way to release the anger that they have built up inside.  These types of abusers are the most dangerous because too much anger and frustration building up can cause them to lose control and seriously injure or even kill a resident.  This type of abuser needs to be stopped immediately before he or she starts abusing a large number of residents.  If you need legal help to stop abuse and hold the individuals responsible accountable for their actions, contact a Los Angeles nursing home abuse lawyer to find out what can be done.