Deciding to place a loved one in a nursing home is often done with trust and hope. Families expect these facilities to provide attentive, professional care that meets their medical and daily living needs. Unfortunately, when staffing levels fall short, that trust can be compromised, and residents can face preventable injuries that affect their health, comfort, and overall well-being.
From missed medication doses to delayed assistance with mobility, staff shortages can create dangerous situations that could have been avoided with adequate personnel. These staffing gaps do more than impact residents physically; they also create emotional and legal consequences.
Insufficient staffing can lead to falls, bedsores, infections, and other preventable injuries, leaving families not only worried about their loved one’s safety but also seeking accountability. When facilities fail to provide proper care, you and your family may have grounds to pursue a personal injury claim to address the harm caused and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
At SJP Sifers Jensen Palmer, we represent clients throughout the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, including Springfield, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; and Kansas City, Kansas. We help families understand how nursing home shortages can lead to preventable injuries and explore the options for pursuing compensation.
Nursing homes are responsible for meeting the medical, physical, and emotional needs of residents. Staff members assist nursing home residents with daily activities, monitor their health conditions, administer medications, and respond to emergencies as needed. Without enough trained professionals, these essential responsibilities often go unmet.
Staff shortages can result from high turnover rates, low wages, or management’s failure to schedule enough workers. Regardless of the cause, the effect is often the same: residents face increased risks of injury, and families are left with difficult questions about liability.
Residents may be left unattended for hours, increasing the likelihood of preventable accidents. Scheduled check-ins may be skipped. Daily hygiene routines, from bathing to changing clothes, may be neglected. This decline in care erodes residents’ dignity and directly contributes to physical harm.
Even attentive staff can’t overcome systemic understaffing. No matter how dedicated, a single caregiver can't safely provide care for dozens of residents simultaneously. That’s why the law requires nursing homes to maintain certain staffing levels. When a facility doesn’t meet accepted standards of care, it may open the door to personal injury claims from those harmed by inadequate staffing.
When staff shortages result in harm, several recurring injuries stand out. These types of injuries are often preventable with proper oversight; however, they become more likely when facilities lack the staff to provide adequate care.
Falls and fractures: Residents often need help with moving safely. Without staff available, they may attempt to walk unassisted, which can lead to dangerous falls.
Bedsores: Immobile residents must be repositioned regularly. In understaffed facilities, this doesn’t happen as often as required, resulting in painful and sometimes life-threatening pressure ulcers.
Medication errors: The proper administration of prescriptions requires attention to detail and accuracy. Overworked caregivers may administer the wrong dose or forget medications entirely.
Dehydration and malnutrition: Nursing home staff must monitor residents’ food and fluid intake. When caregivers are stretched thin, these needs may go unnoticed.
Infections: Failing to maintain hygiene or provide timely wound care increases the risk of diseases spreading throughout a facility.
Emotional challenges: Residents may feel abandoned, anxious, isolated, or depressed when their needs aren't met. Emotional neglect is often less visible but can lead to mental anguish, which is equally damaging.
Each of these injuries can form the basis of a personal injury claim if negligence is proven. At SJP Sifers Jensen Palmer, we are experienced in establishing negligence in nursing home injury cases and helping you pursue compensation on behalf of your loved one.
Federal and state regulations set minimum standards for nursing home staffing. Facilities must provide sufficient staff to meet residents’ needs, yet many fall short of these requirements. When they do, you and your family may have grounds to pursue a personal injury claim.
In Missouri and Kansas, state regulations require nursing homes to maintain sufficient staff to deliver adequate care. The specifications for nursing staffing in both states include the following criteria:
Missouri: At any given time, a nursing facility must have one staff person to 15 residents during the morning shift, one staff person to 25 residents during the evening shift, and one staff person to 35 residents during the night shift. They must also have five residents during the morning shift, one staff person for every 10 residents during the evening shift, and one staff person for every 15 residents during the night shift.
Kansas: Nursing facilities must have a registered nurse serving as a full-time director of nursing. Any facility must have a registered nurse on duty for at least eight consecutive hours a day, seven days per week, and a licensed nurse on duty for 24 hours every day, seven days per week. The day shift is required to have the same number of licensed nurses as nursing units in the facility. Additionally, the ratio of nursing personnel to residents must be at least one nurse for every 30 residents.
Failure to comply may constitute negligence, especially when the lack of staff directly leads to preventable injuries. At our firm, we frequently encounter situations where a facility has reduced staffing levels to cut costs. When this happens, residents bear the consequences, and the nursing home may be held legally responsible for resulting harm.
When it comes to the safety of your loved one, it's important to recognize staff shortages in nursing homes before they result in harm. While some issues may not be visible to visitors, there may be clear red flags that you should be aware of.
Long response times: If call lights or alarms go unanswered for extended periods, staff may be too limited to respond.
Poor hygiene conditions: Unchanged bedding, unclean facilities, or residents appearing disheveled often indicate insufficient staffing.
Unexplained injuries: Frequent bruises, cuts, or fractures should be taken seriously.
Overwhelmed staff: Caregivers who seem rushed or stressed may be covering too many residents, which is not safe.
Decline in resident health: Rapid weight loss, dehydration, or infections may point to neglect or negligence.
If these warning signs are present, you and your family should take action quickly to protect your loved ones. Contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
In nursing homes, preventable injuries should never happen, and addressing staff shortages is a critical step toward reducing them. Facilities that face accountability are more likely to hire adequate staff, improve training, and strengthen safety protocols.
At SJP Sifers Jensen Palmer, our goal is to hold nursing homes accountable while advocating for the care and protection your loved one deserves. By working with us, families gain guidance through the legal process, from filing claims to negotiating settlements or pursuing litigation when necessary.
With offices in Springfield, Missouri, and Westwood, Kansas, we serve clients throughout the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Deciding to place a loved one in a nursing home is often done with trust and hope. Families expect these facilities to provide attentive, professional care that meets their medical and daily living needs. Unfortunately, when staffing levels fall short, that trust can be compromised, and residents can face preventable injuries that affect their health, comfort, and overall well-being.
When someone suffers a serious injury or a family loses a loved one due to another party’s negligence, timing is critical. The statutes of limitations in both Kansas and Missouri establish legal deadlines for filing personal injury or wrongful death claims, and missing these deadlines can prevent your claim from moving forward.
Large-scale harm can affect many people at once, from defective products to dangerous medications. When multiple individuals suffer similar injuries, legal options may include mass torts or class actions. Choosing the right path can determine how each victim pursues compensation and achieves justice.
