Nursing home abuse and neglect put vulnerable residents at serious risk, leading to malnutrition, dehydration, infections, and preventable injuries. When facilities fail to provide adequate care, residents suffer, and families are left feeling helpless. Lack of supervision, improper medical treatment, and unsafe conditions can result in devastating harm. Understanding the warning signs, knowing your legal rights, and holding negligent facilities accountable are crucial steps in protecting your loved ones. Learn how to take action and seek justice.
January 23, 2026
3 min
Pain is not a normal or acceptable part of aging. Yet for many nursing home residents, untreated or poorly managed pain is a daily reality. Elderly individuals often live with chronic conditions, post-surgical pain, arthritis, cancer, or injuries that require careful and consistent pain management. When nursing homes fail to address pain appropriately, residents suffer physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
Across Ohio and the United States, inadequate pain management remains a widespread and underreported form of nursing home neglect. Pain may be ignored, dismissed as “normal aging,” or improperly treated due to understaffing, poor training, or fear of regulatory scrutiny. For vulnerable seniors, the consequences can be devastating.
Understanding how pain management failures occur—and what the law requires—can help families protect their loved ones and hold facilities accountable.
Proper pain management is essential to maintaining quality of life for seniors. Untreated pain affects nearly every aspect of a resident’s health.
Consequences of unmanaged pain include:
For residents with dementia, pain may manifest as behavioral changes rather than verbal complaints, making attentive care even more important.
Pain management failures can take many forms, often hidden from families.
Nursing homes are required to regularly assess residents for pain. When assessments are skipped or poorly conducted, pain goes untreated.
Staff may dismiss residents’ reports of pain or attribute them to aging or cognitive impairment.
Pain medications may be given late, in incorrect doses, or not at all.
Facilities may rely too heavily on sedatives instead of addressing pain directly, or avoid necessary pain medication due to fear of scrutiny.
Once treatment begins, staff must evaluate whether pain relief is effective and adjust care accordingly.
Each of these failures reflects neglect, not unavoidable circumstances.
Inadequate pain management is often the result of systemic problems within a facility.
Overworked caregivers may lack the time to properly assess and respond to residents’ pain.
Staff may not be trained in pain assessment, especially for residents with dementia or communication difficulties.
Information about pain may not be shared effectively between shifts, nurses, and physicians.
Some facilities avoid prescribing appropriate pain medications due to concerns about opioid regulations, even when medically justified.
None of these reasons excuse leaving residents in pain.
Nursing homes are legally required to address residents’ pain.
Under federal regulations (42 CFR § 483.25 and § 483.45), facilities must:
The Ohio Administrative Code (OAC 3701-17) reinforces these obligations, requiring:
Failure to meet these standards may result in citations, fines, and civil liability.
Families should be alert to signs that pain is not being properly addressed.
Warning signs include:
Behavioral changes may be the only indication of pain in cognitively impaired residents.
If you believe your loved one’s pain is not being properly managed, take action.
Raise concerns with nursing staff and administrators and request written responses.
Ask how pain is assessed, treated, and monitored.
Record complaints, symptoms, and staff responses.
Outside physicians may identify untreated pain or inadequate treatment.
In Ohio, contact:
Legal guidance is critical when pain management failures cause harm.
Legal claims often focus on whether:
Evidence may include medical records, medication logs, care plans, staffing schedules, and expert testimony.
Families may pursue compensation for:
Legal action also helps ensure facilities improve pain management practices.
Attorney Michael Hill, based in Cleveland, Ohio, has extensive experience representing families whose loved ones suffered due to inadequate pain management in nursing homes.
Michael and his team:
Michael understands that no senior should be forced to live in pain.
Failure to provide adequate pain management in nursing homes is a serious and inhumane form of neglect. When facilities ignore or minimize pain, elderly residents endure unnecessary suffering that can accelerate physical and emotional decline.
Families have the right to demand compassionate care. If your loved one is suffering due to inadequate pain management, Attorney Michael Hill can help uncover the truth and pursue justice.
Seniors deserve comfort, dignity, and relief from pain—every single day.
