Epidemic of Nursing Home Abuse Endangers Seniors

23 Jul, 2010

New York Brain Injury Lawyers Articles

This week, the New York Times reported that 90 percent of all nursing homes have been cited for violating federal health and safety standards. Even worse, 94 percent of all privately-owned facilities were cited for such violations. It is clear that nursing home abuse and neglect has become an epidemic, and anyone with a loved one in a nursing home needs to be aware of this issue.

Nursing home residents’ rights are guaranteed by the federal 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law. The law requires nursing homes to “promote and protect the rights of each resident”. Yet, as the New York Times recently made clear, nursing homes are not doing enough to protect their residents.

The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates at least one in 20 nursing home patients has been the victim of negligence and or abuse, though it concedes that the number is probably higher. According to the National Center’s study, 57% of nurses’ aides in long-term care facilities admitted to having witnessed, and even participating in, acts of negligence and abuse. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nursing home neglect played role in the deaths of nearly 14,000 nursing home patients between 1999 and 2002.

The New York Times report detailed a study conducted by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the inspector general, more than 1.5 million people live in the nation’s 15,000 nursing homes. To participate in Medicare and Medicaid, facilities must meet federal health and safety standards. These programs cover more than two-thirds of nursing home residents, and cost taxpayers more than $75 billion per year.

According to the inspector general’s report, in the past year, poor nursing home conditions were the subject of 37,150 complaints. Of those, 39 percent were later substantiated by inspectors, and at least 20 percent involved the abuse and neglect of patients. What’s more, 17 percent of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused “actual harm or immediate jeopardy” to patients, the report said.

About two-thirds of the nation’s nursing homes are owned and operated by for-profit companies. Non- profit organizations own 27 percent, while government entities own and operate 6 percent. Of the facilities owned by non-profits, 88 percent were cited for violations, while 91 percent of government-run institutions received citations. According to the report for-profit nursing homes averaged 7.6 deficiencies per facility, while not-for-profit and government homes averaged 5.7 and 6.3, respectively.

To protect a loved one living in a nursing home, it is important to understand what constitutes nursing home abuse and how to spot it. The most common type of nursing home abuse is neglect.
 
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SOURCE:      NewYorkBrainInjuryLawyers

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