| Elder Abuse in
Nursing Homes Increasing
According to the Senate committee on aging, nursing home
and elder abuse is up 20% from 2001. About 90% of the nation's
nursing homes are understaffed, lacking the proper amount
of staff to adequately provide basic and necessary services.
This federal report study concluded it would cost $7.6 billion
to solve the problem of nursing homes being grossly understaffed.
The report that was ordered by Congress showed simple things
such as feeding, dressing, cleaning, and grooming could not
even be provided.
It also found that nursing homes should have a nurse for
every six residents during the hours of 7AM to 3PM, but only
about 10% of nursing homes across the country met that standard,
and half of the nursing homes would have to double the number
of workers in order to meet that standard. With the number
of baby boomers turning 50 every 7.6 seconds, by the middle
of the century the number of seniors will outnumber young
people for the first time in history. Elder abuse and elder
laws must be changed immediately in order to protect the growing
number of nursing home abuse victims from becoming larger.
Nursing homes are unable to provide such basic services such
as feeding, dressing, grooming, and cleaning to 90% of our
nation's elders that reside amongst the 16,000 nursing homes
across this country. Instances of elder abuse has been found
to occur in 1 in 3 nursing homes across the nation, and nursing
home abuse continues to be on the rise, up 20% from last year
according to the Senate committee on aging. Elder abuse such
including physical,
mental, sexual, financial nursing home abuse, and neglect
has cost the lives and well being of our nation's elders.
There are currently 1.6 million Americans in nursing homes,
and with the number of elders that will outnumber young people
for the first time in history approaching around the mid-century,
elder abuse is becoming one of the greatest law enforcement
challenges of our time. |
Future of Nursing
Homes
"We really believe that it's easier to find a restaurant
than just to find a good nursing home. Patients and their
families need more information about quality nursing homes.
That's really the goal."
-Tom Scully, Center
for Medicare and Medicaid Services |
A pilot program has been launched by the Center for Medicare
and Medicaid Services in Maryland, Rhode Island, Ohio, Florida,
Colorado, and Washington state. This program will allow these
select consumers to get patient care data on the nation's
nursing homes from one Web site, and if it goes well, the
consumers in every state will have access to this information
in October. Viewed as one of the nation's greatest law enforcement
challenges of the next century, elder abuse has affected one
in three nursing homes according to the 2001 Senate committee
on aging. This figure is estimated to be very conservative
considering a General Accounting Office investigation found
that about 20% of all U.S. nursing home sexual and physical
abuse is not reported to local law enforcement officials.
By providing information on each nursing home, consumers
will be able to view information on possible elder abuse such
as bedsores, patients' ability to walk, and other aspects
showing how well a nursing home is operating. This pilot program
is an attempt to improve nursing home care and stop the growing
problem of elder abuse in nursing homes from getting any worse
than it already is. Studies have found that nursing homes
are so severely understaffed with 90% of the nursing homes
across the country unable to provide basic services and needs,
leading to growing numbers of elder abuse victims. |
| 
About
Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes
Elder abuse in nursing homes does not only occur as physical
abuse, but sexual
abuse, emotional
or psychological abuse, neglect,
abandonment,
and financial
or material exploitation.
Elder
Abuse in Nursing Homes Injuries
Some more common and obvious injuries as a result of elder
abuse in nursing homes are malnutrition/dehydration,
bedsores
(also known as decubitus ulcers and can lead to sepsis), and
broken
hips.
Preventing
Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes
In some instances, when elder abuse is present, either due
to an inability to communicate or because of fear, a nursing
home resident will not always disclose that elder abuse in
the nursing home is present . . . read
more about elder abuse in nursing homes
How
to Choose a Nursing Home and Avoid Elder Abuse
The nursing home quality of care and respect given to every
nursing home resident is one of the most important things
people should observe during the search for a suitable nursing
home in order to avoid instances of elder abuse . . . read
more
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