A damning report released in August 2014 highlighted the issue of nursing home abuse, pointing out several glaring inadequacies seen in many nursing homes across the country.

The report, titled Nursing Facilities’ Compliance with Federal Regulations of Abuse and Neglect, carried out investigations to determine the extent to which nursing homes and assisted living facilities went out of their way to accurately report accusations of elder neglect and abuse. The report uncovered a few inconsistencies with regard to abuse and neglect reporting:

1. Only 76 percent of all nursing home facilities maintained policies which address federal rules regarding the proper manner of reporting allegations and the results of resultant investigations.
2. Out of 209 nursing facilities, 85 percent reported at least one allegation of neglect or abuse in 2012. According to federal law, nursing homes are supposed to report any and all allegations of abuse or neglect to the relevant authorities.
3. Only 61 percent of all nursing homes had documentation to show that they complied with federal regulations on reporting.
4. Only 53 percent of all abuse and neglect allegations were reported as required by federal law.

The report also determined that about 10 percent of all of America’s seniors were abused, or 5 million individuals across the country. At the same time, 40 percent of all abuse allegations happened between employee and resident through abuse and neglect. The Office of The Inspector General carried out these investigations on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health Human Services. The government body recommended that nursing facilities ought to comply with policies relating to reporting abuse and neglect, as well as notify individuals who are required to report reasonable suspicions of crime in a timely manner to the relevant authorities. The report comes hot on the heels of a Texas expose which reported the presence of warning signs identified by the state, pointing to the perpetration of abuse on a resident-to-resident basis.

Play Your Part In Helping Stamp Out Abuse and Neglect

Nursing home abuse is a serious issue which may lead to lasting physical, emotional and psychological scars. By doing your part in ensuring that residents are well taken care of as well as given a voice to communicate their discontent over the goings on of their facilities, you’ll help in alleviating suffering in this vital section of the population, enhancing the quality of their lives well into their golden years.