Nursing Home Abuse Statistics Counsel Research Into Your Selection
As the population grows older, more people are moving into senior residential living centers. These centers are staffed by professionals, but that doesn’t mean that abuses can’t and don’t occur. In fact, there is a range of nursing home abuse statistics that show horrible abuses do occur. Therefore, it can be valuable to research well the residential care options for your loved one before making a choice.
Doing the research is important because some estimates hold that abuse occurs at as many as a third of all such residential centers. Nursing Home Abuse Statistics. The maltreatment can be at the hands of staff, visitors, or even other residents. It can also take a range of forms, from active physical assault to neglect to emotional abuse.
There are important statistics you can research when gauging how likely mistreatment might be in a facility. Nursing Home Abuse Statistics. For example, while the recommended ration of nurse’s aid to residents is around 1:5, statistics have shown that in some places it can be as high as 1:30. Many facilities also have low staff to resident ratios regarding other types of care givers.
Of the staff who are there, other research has shown that an incredibly high number of facilities employ people who have criminal records. Nursing Home Abuse Statistics. When looking at different centers, you can ask about the staff ratios and backgrounds of employees. In most cases, facilities have to collect data about their actual staffing ratios(not just use a simple employee to resident assumption)and must share their reporting if asked.
Nursing Home Abuse Statistics – In the overwhelming majority of cases where a senior has been mistreated at a nursing center, the abuser was known to the victim. This in part accounts for why it’s believed only a fifth of all cases are reported. When the victim knows and the abuser, especially one in a position of power, it can be quite difficult for the senior to speak out. If you familiarize yourself with nursing home abuse statistics as you do your research, you can take a first good step to avoiding poor treatment for your family member.