Elder Abuse:
What You Need to Know About Elder Abuse
It is estimated that over 132,000 elders in California are abused every
year but the number is probably much higher
as for every abuse reported, at least 5 others go unreported.
Although elder abuse is more prevalent in community settings where over 90%
of elders live, abuse is a daily reality in nursing homes and residential
care facilities for the elderly. Even with federal and state oversight,
the federal General Accounting Office found in 1998 that 1 of 3 nursing homes
in California was cited for serious or potentially life threatening problems.
In 1999, the U.S. Congress's Committee on Government Reform reported that
only 1 of 439 nursing homes in Los Angeles County met all the minimum standards
for care. Congressional studies in the Bay Area and in Santa Barbara showed
similar results. These official reports documented that residents are not being
helped to eat or drink; not being kept dry and clean; not being repositioned
to prevent pressure sores; not being monitored for the development of urinary
tract infections; and not being given pain medication when needed.
In July of 2001, the Congressional Special Investigations Division found that
35% of nursing homes in the United States were cited for more than 10,000 instances
of abuse over a two-year period. In some cases, facility staff members
were accused of committing physical or sexual abuse on the residents, and in
other instances, staff were cited for failing to protect residents from abuse
by other residents.
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) published a report in March 2002
entitled "Nursing Homes: More Can Be Done to Protect Residents from Abuse."
The report cited the lack of protections afforded nursing home residents experiencing
abuse. In addition to the problem of not reporting abuse, the study found that
when abuse reports were made that they were delayed and frequently not reported
to law enforcement. The licensing agency issued few citations and fines for
abuse, for the failure to report or for the delays in reporting. Prosecution
of abusers is rare. Finally, there is no effective system to collect data on
abusers that can be used to screen prospective employees of nursing homes.
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