Aging can be a difficult process — not just on the elderly but on an elderly person’s family as well. Watching your loved one fade from the vibrant, robust person he once was to a shadow of himself is a difficult thing to do — especially if he reaches a point where he can no longer take care of himself and needs full-time help. When that happens, a nursing home can be a blessing. Knowing that your loved one is in a place where he will be safe and well cared for, you can relax a bit and stress about one less thing.

At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes, a facility betrays people’s trust and instead of being a safe haven turns out to be a haven for nursing home neglect instead. Clients of a nursing home in Zanesville, Ohio, were made aware of that recently when the Ohio Department of Health investigated the residence and discovered several violations. As a result of their investigation, the department decided to revoke the nursing home’s license and is helping to relocate the residents.

While it may not always be avoidable, the situation in Zanesville shows that nursing home negligence isn’t something you have to accept. The investigation there began because someone complained. If you suspect that your loved one is being abused or neglected by the staff at a nursing home, contact the appropriate authorities and ask them to investigate the situation. After all, dealing with an aging loved one is difficult enough without having to worry about the conditions at the nursing home as well.

Source: nbc4i.com,”Zanesville Nursing Home Accused of Patient Neglect; License Revoked,” Alex Mazer and Denise Yost, June 6, 2013