When you have a friend, family member or loved one who is getting older and needs assistance to complete daily tasks and activities, you may consider moving them to a nursing home. Nursing homes help elderly and handicapped individuals who need close medical attention and care that they cannot get from a residential situation. While you may hope that your loved one is getting the attention and medical services they deserve, this is not always the case. A surprising number of nursing home resident injuries, deaths and reports of abuse occur at an alarming rate in New Mexico. How exactly to the nursing homes here measure up to nursing care facilities across the country?
According to reports filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, more than 2,217 incidents were reported and nursing homes were cited due to cases of nursing home abuse. In one case, a resident was left unattended and wandered out of the facility only to be hit and killed by a car. In another incident, residents were not given their insulin or other medications.
An investigation led by ProPublica showed that out of 74 Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in New Mexico, 36 of them had serious issues regarding resident health and safety. The state attorney’s office stated that they are in the midst of making arrangements to fix these issues. Hopefully, these improvements will occur quickly, as by 2030, the state will rank fourth in the number of residents aged 65 and older.
This information is intended to educate and should not be taken as legal advice.