Nursing home facilities differ in terms of environmental settings, staff, procedures and support given to their residents. However, when nursing home abuse occurs, some typical patterns may start to emerge although each case seems different. Some of the most common types of cases found in nursing home abuse and neglect can include some of the following:

• Improper health care– This can include situations where the nursing home fails to provide adequate supervision over a resident, resulting in dangerous scenarios where the resident does not receive immediate medical attention for past or future conditions. Improper health care can also be seen when a facility fails to follow a doctor’s orders regarding the medical care and treatment of a resident, as well as performing medication errors.
• Malnutrition or dehydration – This includes situations within a nursing home facility where a resident shows signs of rapid or unhealthy weight loss or dehydration. A resident may experience these results from receiving an inadequate diet or having the inability to feed themselves independently while the facility neglects to monitor their eating habits. When it comes to providing adequate care in the form of a resident’s diet, a nursing home is responsible for following the customary standard of care in providing adequate nutrition and hydration to a resident and monitoring any changes that occur.
• Bedsores - This is a type of ulcer caused by the sustained pressure of soft tissue or skin between a bone and a hard surface (such as a bed or wheelchair). They typically form on the legs, heels, buttocks and other bony prominences of the body where pressure is often applied. A nursing home is responsible for periodically assessing whether a resident is at high risk for skin breakdown, and failure to provide reasonable and timely treatment may constitute evidence of neglect.
• Falls– This includes situations where a resident within a nursing home facility falls or continuously falls out of bed or while trying to get from one place to another. Because this can cause severe conditions (such as bone fractures) a nursing home has the responsibility to take preventative measures to help stop a high risk resident from falling. Some measures may include putting up bed rails, placing a soft mattress next to the bed, lowering the bed and providing the appropriate number of staff to assist the resident during transfers.