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Signs of Elder Abuse
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Medication, diseases and illness make it difficult to detect signs of elder abuse.
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Preventing Medical Mistakes
Preventing mistakes is most of the battle. A mistake-free diagnosis and mistake-free treatment means the best possible health care. The causes of medical mistakes are many and varied. Unfortunately, everyone is human, and mistakes are part of humanity.
Medical errors are one of the nation's leading causes of death and injury. Medical errors happen when something that was planned as a part of medical care doesn't work out, or when the wrong plan was used in the first place and can occur anywhere in the health care system including nursing homes.
Errors can involve:- Medicines.
- Surgery.
- Diagnosis.
- Equipment.
- Lab reports.
When your elder relative is at a nursing home, it is your responsibility to make sure that you do your bit to reduce medical mistakes. You must inform the nursing home about all the medicines your relative is taking and whether your relative is allergic to any medicine.
You have a right to question anyone who is involved with care of your relative. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Make sure that the nursing home has important health information about your relative. If your relative undergoes any test, ask for the results.
You may well be the one who can do the most to prevent many types of medical mistakes. As a relative, you have the time (and motivation) to double-check your elder relative's diagnosis and medications. Hurried medical staff do not have hours to spend on every case. Double-check all diagnosis, examine all possible treatments, check all medications for possible adverse events, and so on.
Reporting Abuse
If you are unsure where to report a case of elder abuse, you can contact an attorney specializing in elder law who can help you with the reporting.
Medicare Eligibility for Nursing Home Care
Medicare will cover nursing home care only if the patient receiving the care needs skilled nursing.
Nursing Home Abuse
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