Along with all the hassles of choosing an appropriate facility and all the financial stresses that it brings, one has to worry about the quality of care they will receive. This is a very difficult aspect to consider when choosing a facility, especially considering all the negative publicity most facilities get. Lawyers are constantly advertising how they will help if a family member has suffered abuse in a nursing home. They also offer tips about how to make it less likely for your family to be abused, such as visiting often. .
There have been many cases about elderly who have died because of neglect or lack of rule enforcement. In March the Los Angeles Times reported about two deaths in two different nursing homes. The Good Shepard Care Center had a seventy three year old woman who died when her bed sheets caught fire while she was smoking in bed. This woman was bipolar and depressed and had previously been caught smoking in bed. The staff should have kept a closer watch on her to make sure she didn't smoke in her bed (L.A. Times, 2003) . In the second case, Brighton Gardens, had an eighty four year old resident who died when she fell and hit her head. Shockingly this occurred while two nurses were moving her from her wheelchair to her bed. This woman's records indicate that she had bad vision and balance and she had already fallen ten times in her first year at the facility (L.A. Times, 2003). She therefore required special attention when being moved, which she obviously did not receive. .
According to another article from the Daily News of Los Angeles, seventy nine percent of L.A.'s nursing homes do not meet federal standards. The majority of their nursing homes are understaffed and don't meet federal health and safety standards. As a result of their deficiencies many residents suffered unnecessary weight loss, time in bed, bedsores, physical restraints, depression, and pain(Bartholomew, 2002) .
