Since many nursing homes are becoming more crowded and there is a shortage of nursing staff to take care of them, many times it is up to the families to monitor their loved one’s health. There are many ways to tell if an elderly person is being taken care of properly.

1. Ask the elderly person how they feel they are being treated. Sometimes this may be difficult because the person may be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other diseases and might be able to accurately give an idea of how they are doing and how they are being treated.

2. Have a meal with the elderly person to see how the food tastes and make sure that the person is eating what they should be eating. Make sure if they are supposed to be getting the medication they are supposed to be getting at mealtimes.

3. Check the person’s body for bed sores and other injuries and ask questions if anything seems suspicious. If the behavior continues, file a complaint and find another facility.

4. Find out the facilities history to see if the facility has been sued in recent years of how many complaints of neglect have been filed.

One of the best things to do is to sit where the other residents sit and watch how the nursing, dietary, and housekeeping staff interacts with the residents. This will give a clear idea of what is going on in the nursing home. Sometimes neglect is unintentional, but other times, it can result in death or injury.