Earlier this month in New Hampshire, the Department of Public Health fined four local nursing homes for failing to comply with various rules and regulations relating to patient safety. According to one local news source, the allegations ranged in seriousness from minor infractions to serious allegations of abuse.
For example, one nursing home was found to have leaking sinks, dirty lifts, pain peeling off the wall, broken bed rails, and water dripping from the ceiling. Inspectors also noted an incident in which a resident was found to have a fairly serious abrasion that inspectors believe was caused by the home’s use of a lift without the proper padding. In response to that resident’s request for help, one nursing home employee failed to respond for one hour and 15 minutes. That employee was subsequently fired for neglecting the resident.
Another example of a lapse in care occurred at another nursing home and involved a verbally abusive resident who was not properly monitored. Evidently, the resident stated that “I can hit anyone I want to” and punched another resident. The aggressive resident was taken to the emergency room for evaluation, and the doctor told the staff that they should check on the man every 15 minutes. However, citing the unavailability of staff, the nursing home failed to comply with this recommendation.