It can be difficult to know how to handle a Pennsylvania nursing home complaint. Residents and their families who are unhappy with care received at a nursing home or long-term care facility often don’t know where to turn to get the complaint resolved. Fortunately, there are resources at your disposal to help address grievances. The following are steps that you can take to resolve a Pennsylvania nursing home complaint.

• Request a grievance form – Each nursing home is required to have policy and procedure on addressing grievances. In most homes, grievance forms are available to document your concerns. Grievance forms are helpful to use, especially if you are visiting during off-hours or at times when Department Directors are not on-site or available. If you don’t know where to find the form, ask the charge nurse or social services worker. Be sure to ask what follow-up you can expect after you submit the form.
• Ask to speak with the Social Worker or the Department Director about your concern – It can be helpful to develop a relationship with key employees in the facility who are responsible for addressing your Pennsylvania nursing home complaint. Another key contact you can make is the Nursing Home Administrator for the building.
• Communicate effectively – Concerns are more easily addressed if you can provide specific details about the circumstances surrounding the complaint. For example, try to include the date, time, location, any staff members involved. Also, it can show goodwill to balance complaints by also providing positive feedback you have about any good experiences you have had at the nursing home.
• Know your rights – Resident and families who file a grievance against a nursing home have the right to be free from retaliation from making a report. This means that the nursing home is not permitted to treat you the resident or you badly because you spoke up about a concern. Concerns about retaliation should be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
• Contact the Department of Health – You can contact the Department of Health that oversees Pennsylvania nursing home complaints. File a complaint by contacting:
  1. Call 1-800-254-5164
  2. Email c-ncomplai@pa.gov
  3. Use the online complaint form
• Contact the Ombudsman – Pennsylvania Ombudsman are federally mandated and state certified to actively advocate to give a voice to consumers of long-term care services. They can help residents and their families by listening, educating, investigating and mediating complaints a nursing home.
  1. Call 717-783-8975
  2. If your complaint is about abuse, call the 24-hour elder abuse hotline at: 1-800-490-8505
• Contact the Police about a Crime – If your complaint is in regard to a crime, such as physical or sexual abuse at a nursing home, contact the police. It’s important to ensure the immediate safety of your loved one and assure perpetrators of any crimes against the elderly are promptly reported.
• Contact a Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer – the nursing home neglect lawyers at our firm are compassionate, experienced attorneys who handle serious Pennsylvania nursing home complaints. If your loved one has been harmed from abuse or neglect a Pennsylvania nursing home, we will listen to your conc-erns and provide the legal options that you might have to file a claim. Our lawyers firmly believe that nursing home residents deserve good care and kind treatment. We can help stand up and get justice for residents who suffer an injury while at a Pennsylvania nursing home. Call 888-789-3161 today, or send us a message via the online form in order to speak directly to one of our nursing home neglect lawyers.