Nursing Home care is only as good as the individuals that are hired to provide the care. Caring for people with various medical conditions like dementia, immobility or incontinence, is a very difficult and demanding job. Without the time to devote to each individual, it is impossible for nurses and nursing assistants to adequately do their job. 
A nationwide epidemic in the Nursing Home industry is the failure of Nursing Homes to hire enough nursing staff. As a result, hard working and well intentioned staff are overburdened and unable to physically meet the needs of residents.
Staffing is the largest budgetary item for nursing homes and therefore corporate decisions are made to cut staff in order to maximize profits. Unfortunately, with this decision, our loved ones in nursing homes will inevitably suffer.
According to recent federal data published by PBS (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/most-nursing-homes-are-not-adequately-staffed-new-federal-data-says), most nursing homes had fewer nurses and caretaking staff that they had reported to the government. The data came from Kaiser Health News based on daily payroll records that are collected by Medicare.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 1.4 million people in Nursing Homes throughout the United States. In Illinois there are 1,200 Nursing Homes with more than 100,000 residents. These numbers are sure to rise as the baby boomer population ages, making a need for increase in staffing. Without a change and cure for this unfortunate problem in Nursing Homes, residents will continue to receive substandard care.
If you or someone you know has concerns about potential neglect or abuse at a Nursing Home, please contact one of our attorneys at 312-527-4500, for a free consultation.
