Is Abuse In Nursing Homes Running Rampant In The United States?

Nursing homes are supposed to protect the residents in that reside intheir facilities rather than harm them. However nursing home abuse is dramatically on the rise in our country.

Nursing home abuse is an abominable situation. It's an absolutely terrible problem in the United States that is leaving many of our neediest and sickest citizens in pain and suffering from a constant feeling of helplessness and desperation.

Abusive situations are affecting residents of assisted living facilities as well as nursing homes in virtually every part of our country.

Nursing home abuse is the result of wrongful conduct by a caregiver or a resident. It also refers to the general negligence when it is prevalent within the facility itself. However, whether it's caused by an individual or by the dictates of a facility's management staff, the results are the same - emotional and/or physical harm to our elderly.

More than three million people in the United States rely on a nursing home's services and many of these people are vulnerable to abuse. Naturally, this abuse is a major concern for the families of the residents.

Although some assisted living facilities and nursing homes do provide quality care others neglect their residents all too frequently. One of the reasons is that the homes are becoming increasingly understaffed is because the home owners want to realize increased profits.

Because the staff in such homes is usually either poorly or insufficiently trained, and then grossly underpaid and overworked, they often are rude. It's not unusual for them to become abusive to the residents - even when the residents beg them to help with such simple needs as being taken to the bathroom or being given a glass of water.

Nursing home residents depend on the staff of the facility to take care of all or many of their needs, such as water, food, medicine, grooming, toileting, turning, and stimulation. Because the homes are understaffed many of their residents are dehydrated, starved, and over medicated. And many also suffer pain from pressure sores.

In addition, residents are ignored, isolated, and deprived of social stimulation and social contact.

When a family is considering looking into long term care facilities for an aging relative they should be aware of these heartbreakingly common problems before moving their relative into the facility. However, if their relative is already in a facility it is up to them to determine whether their loved one is being subjected to abuse.

It could be a bit difficult to determine, especially if the resident is either reluctant or unable to communicate about what has been happening to them. Therefore it's necessary for the family members to visit often and pay attention to how their loved one is being cared for.