While most nursing homes provide loving and competent care, it's a tragic fact that many nursing home residents in the United States face physical, emotional, mental, and even sexual abuse from the people who are paid to look after them.

A 2001 Congressional report found that nearly 1/3 of all nursing homes in the U.S. had been cited for abusing residents and those were only the cases in which the abusers were caught. According to the report, 1 in 10 of those incidents of abuse resulted in a risk of serious injury or death for the victim. Over 40% of these incidents were only noted after the residents, their families, or community advocates filed formal complaints, so the problem is doubtlessly under-reported. Since 2001, the problem has only grown worse: a United Press International report published on Dec. 19, 2007 found a 22% increase in nursing home citations for seriously endangering patients between 2000 and 2006.

The elderly are susceptible to injury from such forms of neglect as malnutrition, dehydration, and bedsores from lack of nursing attention. Usually, these problems occur when a nursing home is understaffed. Shockingly, 54% of facilities are staffed at levels under the federal suggested minimum for nurses' aides, and over 33% are lacking sufficient registered nurses. Patients in short-staffed homes are more likely to suffer from falls, violence from other patients, and (particularly for dementia sufferers) the possibility of wandering away from the facility and becoming lost.

The most egregious harm of all comes from deliberate physical abuse, such as punching or kicking from staff members, as well as mental abuse or sexual assault. Horror stories from the worst cases abound, of patients being fed from enema bags, having untreated head wounds full of maggots, or having broken bones after staff beat them for soiling themselves. Often the nursing homes' records are tampered with to disguise the abuse.

What can you do if you suspect that a loved one is being abused or neglected by their nursing home care providers? First, ask the resident about the injury or neglect. Don't rely entirely on their response, though- they may be embarrassed to admit what has happened, or may have been intimidated into keeping the abuse secret. Ask the attending nurse, and the nursing supervisor. If you find that an infraction has occurred, report the abuse to the local police department and state nursing home regulatory agency. (A searchable map of state agencies is available at the Long Term Care Ombudsmen website: http://www.ltcombudsman.org/static_pages/ombudsmen.c fm.) Finally, you may want to contact a lawyer specializing in cases of elder abuse to explore your legal options.

Sources:
"Serious nursing home violations rise," USA Today (Dec. 19, 2007).
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/12/19/s erious_nursing_home_violations_rise/9034/

Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center, (accessed Jan. 29, 2008).
http://www.nursinghomeabuseresourcecenter.com/

"Nursing Home Abuse Increasing," CBS News report, (Jul. 31, 2001).
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/30/national /main304038.shtml

"Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes," Nursing Home Abuse website, (accessed Jan. 29, 2008). http://www.elderly-abuse.com/

Learn more about this author, Calista Stevens.
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