1. Be Selective With Personnel
Make sure everybody hired to work in a nursing home goes through a rigorous background check. Get recommendations from previous employers and monitor every new employee that comes in either directly or by pairing him with another, more experienced worker you trust. If you are the one looking for a nursing home for your elderly parent or relative, ask the people in charge what qualifications the workers have. Focus on more than just their certifications, and ask what type of selection process they must go through in order to work there.
2. Identify the Different Forms of Abuse
Abuse towards the elderly takes many forms. While physical abuse is the most obvious one, leaving visible marks to account for it, other forms of abuse can be equally damaging. Verbal abuse is the most common form in nursing homes. Yelling, threatening and humiliating are easy to hide from management. The same is true of abandonment or neglect. For example, caregivers may fail to provide food, change adult diapers or distribute medication on time. Sexual abuse is also a concern.
3. Don't Give Too Much Power to a Single Person
Abuse becomes easier if a single nurse or caretaker is always in charge of the same person. Since there are no others around to notice changes in behavior, physical condition or mood, it's easier for abuse to go unnoticed. A good way to prevent this is to have rotating caregivers (at least three different workers) so each one can provide his own independent assessment of the condition of the patient.
4. Stay Involved With the Resident
Many nursing homes allow children of residents to form their own family councils to monitor the care and medical attention received by the elderly residents. Family councils often have the power to request care plans, including detailed lists of what the residents should be getting and how those needs are being met. The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (http://www.canhr.org) can guide you in forming a family council and preventing abuse in nursing homes.
