One of the things we tell Florida nursing home residents’ family members is there are certain things that you can do to make sure that your loved one is not subjected to abuse and neglect in the nursing home.  And, it’s a simple three-part test: look, listen, and smell.  With regard to look, go into the facility at unannounced times, when the staff is not expecting you to be in the facility.  Look for things like unchanged bandages, bedside commodes that haven’t been changed.  Look to see if your mom or dad has been properly fed, and one of the things you can do is look at the bedside tray to see if they need assistance eating, to see whether or not all the food has been provided to your loved one.  With regard to listen, listen for signs of abuse and neglect down the hall, not just in your mom or dad’s room.  Often times, you’ll hear a call bell down the hall that’s been unattended for 60 minutes or more.  That’s a sign and a red flag, that there’s not enough staff onboard, or the quality of the staff is not good not to say that they’re not listening to the needs and attending to the needs of your loved ones at the facility.  Smell, we are know what that means.  That’s just poor hygiene, and if they’re not attending to the hygiene of your mom or dad, or other residents, that is a very bad sign of abuse or neglect.