Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Nursing home neglect and abuse is a national disgrace.  In fact, this is a widespread -- and increasing --  problem in the United States.  An investigation by Time magazine revealed that seniors in nursing homes are at a far greater risk of death from neglect than their loved ones imagine.

An analysis of the death certificates of persons who died in California nursing homes between 1986 and 1993 revealed that over 7%, or 1 in 15, of the deaths of seniors in nursing homes, resulted at least in part, to utter neglect, lack of food or water, untreated bedsores, or other generally preventable ailments.  Since that study, this nation's nursing home population has risen sharply.  If the 1.6 million Americans now in nursing homes are dying of questionable causes at the same rate, then every year about 35,000 elderly citizens die prematurely or in unnecessary pain, or both. 

The investigation confirmed something that many Americans fear.  According to a survey published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 30% of those polled said they would rather perish than live in a nursing home.

The U.S. Congress and state legislatures have taken steps to make nursing homes accountable.  The  federal Nursing Home Reform Act states that a nursing home must provide "services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psycho-social well-being of each resident in accordance with a written plan of care."
 
However, you still need to be alert to your own loved one’s needs, and if necessary, demand that the nursing home respect all of his or her legal rights.  Therefore, this website includes positive steps you can take to prevent problems and ensure proper treatment in a nursing home for your relative or friend. 

Do not hesitate to seek legal guidance, if you feel that someone close to you is being abused or neglected in a nursing home.

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