By Dan Noll on February 27th, 2025 in Articles, Nursing Home Abuse
Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Share Common Red Flats to Watch Out for When Selecting a Nursing Home
It is a difficult decision to place a loved one in an assisted living, nursing home, long-term care facility, or another type of healthcare provider. Despite what we like to believe, the unfortunate truth is that abuse, neglect, and negligence still plague many nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and other providers. Unfortunately, the Springfield nursing home abuse lawyers at the Noll Law Office know that there are far too many instances of nursing home abuse, neglect, or negligence that still occur in facilities – including right here in Illinois. Thus, it is imperative for victims and their families to know certain red flags to watch out for when selecting a nursing home in Illinois.
Indeed, according to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one in six people over the age of 60 living in the community will have experienced some form of abuse in the past year. That number may be higher for residents of nursing homes, as the same statistics indicate that two-thirds (66%) of staff have anonymously self-reported engaging in abusive conduct within the last year. In the United States, statistics indicate that about one in ten people over the age of 65 experience some form of abuse. Other statistics focusing on the time period during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal increased numbers of elder abuse, with some shocking statistics indicating that abuse occurred in as many as one in five adults.
At the Noll Law Office, if you of a loved one may have been subjected to nursing home abuse, neglect, or negligence in Illinois, schedule your free consultation with their compassionate and experienced legal team. Whether or not you believe you have been a victim, their Springfield nursing home abuse lawyers offer free consultations and case evaluations for you to learn more about your rights to compensation. To get started, contact them today.
Common Red Flags to Watch Out for When Selecting a Nursing Home in Illinois
Choosing a nursing home can be a daunting task. That’s because there is a lot of information to consider, and oftentimes the needs of you or your loved one are rapidly changing and updating as doctors, nurses, and social workers may be updating you based on their recommendations. There are also financial considerations to worry about too, including private insurance or coverage through publicly-funded programs such as Medicare. There may also be competing interests with family members who desire a loved one to be placed in a different facility or closer to them, as opposed to what is best for a loved one.
Initial and Universal Warning Signs to be Aware
Thus, the first step in selecting a nursing home is realizing that many of the common red flags to watch out for when selecting a nursing home also translate to other businesses or service providers. Said differently, warning signs for other providers are the same as nursing homes, such as the following:
- Dirty inside and generally poorly cleaned
- Phone calls are not answered and slowly returned, or not returned at all
- Unkept premises, including poor landscaping or removal of snow/ice
- Staff do not answer the phone appropriately or look poorly groomed/not uniformly dressed or put together
- Deteriorating building that looks old, unpainted/old paint, old roofs
- Old and damage parking lots
- Things do not work or light bulbs are out, water stains, chipping paint, and similar signs of lack of maintenance, and
- Other factors that might steer you away from going to a store, restaurant, or another type of business, which are also important red flags to watch out for when selecting a nursing home in Illinois.
Specific Warning Signs for Nursing Homes and Long-term Care Facilities in Illinois
The next step is, when vetting a nursing home or long-term care facility, is to assess more specific features that could indicate a facility is potentially dangerous for your loved one. Some of the most common warning flags that the Springfield nursing home abuse lawyers at the Noll Law Office want you and your family to be aware of include the following:
- Lack of staffing and less staffing present than you would expect (understaffing is a huge contributor to nursing home abuse, neglect, and negligence)
- High staff turnover, including speaking to multiple different people during your process of applying to a facility and get a bed placement set up, as well as your initial weeks there if there are generally new nurses and staff each time you go
- Residents are unhappy or appear to be poorly groomed, complaining, or uncared for
- Residents being restrained in any manner, including with any type of straps but also in wheelchairs that are locked and placed in an area where a resident could not move himself or herself away
- Reports in the news about incidents are the facility
- Poor ratings and grades from federal or state agencies on their websites, including violation reports (a list of websites is provided below); and
- Other troubling signs of potential nursing home abuse, neglect, or negligence that could result in serious personal injuries or the wrongful death to a loved one.
Important Resources for Red Flags to Watch Out for When Selecting a Nursing Home in Illinois
In addition to other red flags noted above, there are also some websites that can help you and your family investigate facility and continue to review them during occupancy to ensure they are maintaining the desired level of care and attention to your loved one. Some of these websites that can be helpful include the following:
- Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) provides certain information on nursing homes and long-term care facilities, including quarterly reports on violations and issues that may indicate a home could be unsuitable for you or your loved one’s needs – including being outright dangerous
- Medicare has a Nursing Home Lookup with valuable information about facilities and issues that may arise
- S. News ranks the top nursing homes in the country and lists relevant information relating to issues at facilities
- If you or a loved one may have been injured in a nursing home, or if there was an unexpected death or unexplained injury or death to a loved one, asking a local nursing home abuse lawyer is also an important way to protect your rights.
Still Not Sure of the Red Flags to Watch Out for When Selecting a Nursing Home? Or Seeing Some of the Warning Signs at a Facility Now? Call the Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at the Noll Law Office for Help
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities must provide competent services to us and our loved one while we are at their facilities. However, far too many facilities fail to properly care for residents. If you or a loved may have been harmed in a facility, or if a loved one has been wrongfully killed at a facility anywhere in Illinois, call the Noll Law Office.
Their compassionate legal team works with victims and their families by offering free consultations so that victims can truly understand what their rights to compensation may be under the law by offering certain things that other personal injury lawyers do not. For instance, the Noll Law Office offers free consultations and case evaluations, ensuring that victims and their families have the time they need to ask difficult questions and get accurate answers. Their fifth-generation lawyers can also meet with victims at their home, nursing home, hospital, office, or virtually through video conferencing or a phone call. If you hire their nursing home abuse lawyers, and if they accept your case, unlike some other law firms they will also pay the upfront costs and fees of litigation – only to get reimbursed after they recover compensation for you and your family. Similarly, they also do not get their legal fees paid until they recover compensation for you, and only from a percentage of your total recovery – not out of your pocket.
Schedule your free consultation with their Springfield nursing home abuse lawyers today by dialing (217) 414-8889 or by sending a message here. The call is free and your appointment is free, with no obligation to sign up that day. Their experienced legal team is happy to discuss your matter with you, and is available to talk when you are ready.