As of 2020, there were 15,300 nursing homes across the United States, 70 percent of which were for-profit. The 1.6 million licensed beds in nursing homes in 2020 have grown significantly in the past four years and are expected to grow exponentially as the Baby Boomer generation ages.
Putting your elderly loved one in a nursing home can be emotionally wrenching for all involved. You can only hope you have chosen a good nursing home and that your loved one will be treated respectfully with his or her physical and mental health needs consistently met. Unfortunately, the trust placed in a nursing home is often broken when nursing home abuse and neglect occur.
In 2023, more than 94,499 health citations were issued to nursing homes across the United States, resulting from abuse and neglect of elderly residents. A survey of nursing home workers found that two out of three caregivers committed some type of elder abuse within the past year. Elder abuse may be physical, emotional, sexual, financial, or neglect.
While nursing home abuse and neglect often go unreported, at least 10 percent of those living in a nursing home will experience abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Physical abuse is the most common form of abuse in nursing homes, followed by neglect and emotional abuse. If you suspect your loved one is being abused or neglected, contact an experienced Peoria, IL nursing home abuse attorney from Nursing Home Injury Center to determine your next steps.
A Decline in Physical Health Makes the Elderly Vulnerable to Abuse
One of the hallmarks of aging is a decline in physical health. Thanks to the stiffening of the arteries, the heart is forced to work harder, a relatively minor fall can result in bone fractures, hearing and vision loss is common, and even the slightest bump can result in serious bruising.
Balance declines, resulting in more falls, and since most elderly people are taking from four to six prescription drugs, there can be drug interactions and side effects of each drug. The elderly are typically much frailer, making it easy for others to intimidate and control them, taking advantage of mobility issues along with poor eyesight.
Older adults often require assistance with daily living activities, including eating, getting dressed, bathing, and going to the bathroom. When an elderly person also has cognitive impairments, the abuse is likely to be even worse. Physical abuse is heartbreaking when it happens to any elderly person and even more so when that person is someone you love.
Mental and Cognitive Impairment Result in Higher Rates of Abuse and Neglect
The population most affected by dementia is the elderly; only about 9 percent of those with dementia are younger than 65. Elderly nursing home patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s are more likely to be victims of abuse and neglect than those without these cognitive impairments. Alzheimer’s and dementia cause:
- Loss of memory
- Disorientation
- Changes in mood and behavior
- Difficulty walking, talking, speaking, and swallowing
- Confusion regarding time, places, events, and people
- Unfounded suspicions regarding loved ones and caregivers
Elderly nursing home patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s find it difficult to understand or describe abuse. Since they have a decline in reasoning, judgment, and memory, the abuse may frighten and confuse them, yet they have no way of telling another person about the abuse.
Social Isolation is a Risk Factor in Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly
Often, when an elderly person is placed in a nursing home, his or her family members are still dealing with exceptionally busy lives. This can make it difficult to visit the loved one on a regular basis. Elderly people who lack a strong social support network are more likely to be victims of abuse in a nursing home. If the nursing home is short-staffed, isolation can become even worse, with the elderly person left in his or her room alone virtually around the clock. As isolation increases, there may be nobody to notice that the elderly person is being abused or neglected.
Dependency on Others Increases the Risk of Abuse and Neglect
Elderly people in nursing homes are extremely dependent on the staff to know when they need to be fed, changed, bathed, or even turned over in their beds to avoid bedsores. This dependence increases in those with physical issues or cognitive decline. Imagine how it must feel to live in dirty clothing, without regular baths, given food and water only when the staff gets around to it. This level of dependency makes many elderly people in nursing homes afraid to ask for help because they are dependent on the care they receive and believe it would be taken away from them.
Gender Can Increase the Risk of Abuse and Neglect
Studies have shown that elderly women are more likely to experience nursing home abuse than men. This is partially because there are more women in nursing homes because women tend to live longer. While about 52 percent of women will require a nursing home, only 33 percent of men will need nursing home care. Only one in thirteen elderly women will report nursing home abuse. There are many reasons for this, including:
- Elderly women may fear their abuser.
- Women are more likely than men to think their accusations will not be believed.
- Women are likely to have fewer support services to assist them.
- Women tend to believe that the legal system will not operate in their best interests.
- Elderly women who are abused in nursing homes are more likely to have a distanced relationship with their children and other loved ones.
- Women are more likely to feel shame over abuse, often believing it is somehow their fault.
- Despite the abuse, women are more likely to feel concern for their abuser than men.
Residents with Additional Needs Are at a Higher Risk of Abuse
Any resident who has additional requirements is at a higher risk of nursing home abuse. The resident who is seen as more time-consuming, needier, or different in some way from the other residents is more likely to be abused. Medical needs that may be time-consuming, residents with depression, anxiety, or another mental illness, those with physical disabilities, or any resident that asks for help more often than the staff thinks is necessary could be victims of abuse.
Contact a Peoria County, IL Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
If you believe your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse, it is important that you contact a Peoria, IL nursing home abuse attorney from Nursing Home Injury Center as soon as possible. Your attorney will know the proper channels for reporting the abuse and can guide you through the process. Our firm is a small division of a large law firm. This benefits our clients in that they receive all the resources of a big law firm along with the highly individualized attention of a smaller firm. Call 309-524-6900 to schedule your free consultation.
