An article published on ABC’s website declared that one in three nursing homes had some sort of elder abuse taking place at it. This is certainly a very disturbing statistic, but rather than panic, it’s prudent to take a look at the information that this and other studies have provided. Whatever you decide about the care that an older loved one receives, know that nursing homes are great for some people, but not for others. It’s important to know which category your mom or dad, or whoever else is receiving care, falls under. It will ensure that they get the best care that they can get.
The above mentioned study was commissioned by the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee. The study was based upon looking at citations received by nursing homes across the country. It was found that about 30 percent of them–5,283 in total–had received citations for some sort of abuse over the course of a two year period. The period examined was between 1999 and 2001.
There are some concerns with this study, of course. One, it used information that was over 15 years old. This in itself is a reason to question whether it still applies to today’s elder care landscape. Yes, abuse is still a serious issue. But people are more aware of what senior citizen abuse is, especially when it comes to concepts like neglect. The nursing homes that had received citations have had plenty of time to deal with these issues and make the necessary corrections.
Another concern is that the study did not discriminate when it came to the nature of the citations. Were the citations well founded, or were they false accusations? This might seem like a minor point, but it’s not. We do not want to take away from the severity of the accusations here. Senior abuse is an awful crime and needs to be prevented. Those who do this should be held fully accountable for their actions. But the nature of the reported instances was hard to discern other than the 1,601 that put a resident in jeopardy of injury or even death. With over 9,000 reported cases during this time, we don’t know anything about the majority of the cases. According to law in most states, even the most minor or accidental of cases, such as one dementia patient slapping another, need to be reported. This kind of law is in place to protect residents and is helpful. But when data is looked at from this perspective, it skews the perception that more nursing homes have abuse ongoing than what is actually occurring.
There are many other types of senior care out there and the nursing home is not right for everyone. We strongly urge you to consider other types of care, such as assisted living or in-home care, if they can help your parent. They are less invasive types of care and much cheaper than a nursing home. However, if you do need to consider the use of a home, be sure to make sure that it is a safe and helpful place.
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