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Nursing Home Abuse Statistics
Elder abuse should never take place in a nursing home setting. Unfortunately, the people charged with the care of our elderly loved ones are often the ones who cause them harm. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that it found that two-thirds of nursing home staff admitted to committing some type of abuse against residents within the past year.
Data from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) shows that nursing home abuse complaints are on the rise. Note the increase in nursing home complaints over just a few years:
- 2016 – 66,077 complaints
- 2017 – 68,808 complaints
- 2018 – 71,602 complaints
The number of high-priority complaints that require a rapid response also increased from only 5,061 complaints in 2016 to 6,540 in 2018. Although reporting rates are increasing, the Center for Medicare Advocacy has also found that many instances of nursing home abuse go unreported.
Identifying Abuse in Residential Care Facilities
Signs of nursing home abuse are not always obvious at first. Abuse victims may try to act as if everything is normal so as not to worry their loved ones, or out of fear that their abuser will retaliate. Learning to recognize the signs of nursing home abuse is essential if you are placing a loved one in a care facility.
Physical Abuse
The presence of injuries and other physical changes to the body is one of the most obvious signs of physical abuse. Bruises, cuts, black eyes, burns, and laceration marks may all appear on the body of a nursing home resident who has suffered abuse at the hands of a staff member. Victims may also start experiencing anxiety, act fearful around certain staff members, be fearful of physical touch, or have trouble sleeping.
While nursing home staff frequently provide physical support to residents, physical touch should never reach a point where it may be considered abuse.
The following are all examples of physical abuse:
- Slapping
- Hitting
- Kicking
- Biting
- Punching
- Unnecessary physical restraint
Psychological Abuse
Also referred to as mental or emotional abuse, nursing home residents can also be victims of abuse without ever being touched. The most obvious sign of psychological abuse is a change in the mental or emotional state of your loved one. This can make it surprisingly difficult to identify since many illnesses associated with old age are associated with a decline in one’s mental state. Many nursing home residents also struggle with the transition to living in a residential facility versus their own home, which can also bring on an emotional change.
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