A new study lead by a professor at the Weill Cornell Medical College at Cornell University to Reuters Health and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine revealed that one of the biggest threats to the safety of nursing home residents may be fellow residents.
Over a four-year period from 2009 to 2013, the study examined five urban and five suburban state nursing homes in New York for one-month observation periods. During that time, 20 percent of the 2,011 residents suffered at least one occurrence of abuse:
- Verbal Abuse 9.1%
- Physical Abuse 5.2%
- Sexual Abuse .6%
- Other (such as invasion of privacy or menacing gestures) 5.3%
Actual incidence of abuse may be much higher since the study only focused on reported incidents.
The study’s lead author, Mark Lachs, MD, MPH, suggested that aggression expressed between residents is likely due to the fact that many in this elderly population suffer from dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases and are thrust into communal living situations for the first time in decades.
Has your loved one been subjected to abuse in a nursing home facility? At the Law Offices of Mark L. Karno and Associates, our experienced attorneys are dedicated to seeking justice for the victims of nursing home abuse. Call us today at (312) 701-0090 for your free consultation. We welcome clients from Evanston, Aurora, Chicago, and the surrounding communities.