Call for Stronger Response to Nursing Home Abuse

NCCNHR CALLS FOR STRONGER RESPONSE TO NURSING HOME ABUSE FROM ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

The National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) applauds the Senate Special Committee on Aging for investigating the plight of elders who have been victimized by criminal abuse in nursing homes. 

"Too often, elderly victims' painful stories of outright sexual or other abuse are ignored or discounted," says Donna R. Lenhoff, Esq., NCCNHR's Executive Director. "Even if they suffer from confusion or dementia, suspicious events involving older persons must be viewed as important enough to be investigated and prosecuted.  Yet enforcement agencies regularly miss or ignore critical evidence that an elder has been abused."

One of the underlying reasons for criminal behavior against elders is the well-documented chronic understaffing in nursing homes.  According to a 2002 study commissioned by the federal government, over 90 percent of nursing homes have staffing levels below that identified as minimally necessary to provide minimally adequate care for their residents.  When there are no staff members to provide services and to monitor protection, our elders are vulnerable to unthinkable and unacceptable crimes against them. That's why NCCNHR has called for the federal government, Congress, and the states to require minimum staff-to-patient ratios.

Other reforms needed to prevent crime in nursing homes include: 

▪  Federal and state law must ensure careful screening to prevent employment of people with records of criminal assault or similar crimes.

▪  Professional social workers who are specially trained to provide sensitive, essential counseling to victims of abuse and their families should be available in nursing homes.  Indeed, the federal requirement that residents receive professional social work services is seldom enforced by regulatory agencies.

▪  Enforcement of the neglect and abuse provisions of the federal nursing home reform law should be strengthened. 

▪ Staff must be trained in working with emotional residents whose behaviors might provoke stress or anger -- which can be common among tired, overworked employees.

▪  Local law enforcement must assure that crimes against residents in nursing homes are dealt with swiftly and skillfully  and  assure that police have the special training necessary to protect and respond to vulnerable elders.

Allowing residents of our nation's nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to suffer from criminal neglect or abuse is criminal in itself. 

# # #

NCCNHR has provided consumer information, technical assistance, and a voice in Washington for nursing home residents, citizen advocacy groups, and long-term care ombudsmen for more than 25 years.