Nursing homes offer two different types of excursion outside of the facility. 

The first is for necessary additional medical care. Trips to specialists include dentists, ophthalmologists, and for scan. 

The second kind are recreational trips meant to increase socialization and decrease feelings of isolation. 

In both cases it’s important that the elderly are taken care of while in transit and when they arrive at their destination. Given that the first kind involves other attending physicians and are often solo or small group affairs, there is usually adequate supervision. 

The second kind is an undervalued source of nursing home negligence. 

Care Responsibilities

Health workers have the same mandate for care when on a day trip as they do at the facility. However, maintain care is much easier with the staff numbers and equipment at the facility.

Nursing staff places certain expectations on the residents when they are on a trip. While these expectations may seem reasonable in the moment, they can easily be a product of being stretched too thing and making adverse care decisions.

For example, the stronger and more lucid residents are often overlooked to focus on those that require more frequent monitoring. While this sounds like a good division of labor, it places undue stress on the more active elders. 

When they need help, they feel extra pressure not to call attention, thinking tat the more they can stay independent, the better the remote experience will be for others. 

This additional stress can not only lower health stats but set the elder up for a social crash.

Pressure for Independence

In some cases, an otherwise healthy hand happy elder resident, suddenly faced with their inability to take care of themselves in a remote situation, become exceedingly withdrawn. This happens more often when the incidents on a trip are of a personal nature over a medical one. 

A withdrawn individual will refuse to participate in other day trips, for fear of repeating their previous lack of autonomy. Worse, they may become increasingly reluctant to participate in activities at the facility as they judge themselves harshly and perceive that others are doing the same. 

Lack of socialization and building stress cause illness and exacerbates certain conditions, breathing issues are the most sensitive to psychological stress reactions.

Remote Hazards

The other factor to consider in a day trip situation is exposure to illnesses and contaminants that would be screened for at a facility. It’s important that care workers be cognizant of the sanitary conditions in places like theaters and restaurants. 

One of the most common problems encountered after at trip out of the home is exposure to parasites. 

Allergies to different substances are also a common issue with the lower level of supervision. For loved ones suffering from intermittent lucid states, a trip abroad can create exposure to foods and substances that the elder themselves won’t remember encountering.

Barring participation from taking trips is its own form of harm. The bottom line isn’t no trips, but that trips should be taken with adequate support from staff and with foreseeable emergency equipment on-hand.

Seek Help

Maintaining the emotional and mental health of your loved ones is an important part of care facilities. When corners are cut and budgets are mismanaged, the lack of attentive staff diminishes and opens opportunities for negligence to occur.

If you have seen recent downturns in the attitudes and health of your loved ones, seek help from experienced nursing home negligence attorneys. Contact us today.  We’re here to help.