How prevalent is nursing home abuse and neglect?
More than 1.5 million elderly and disabled Americans reside in more than 16,000 nursing homes across this country. Despite the fact that by law, these nursing homes must take steps to attain or maintain the “highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident,” too many of these residents are the victims of neglect or abuse by these facilities and/or their employees. Consider a 1998 study by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) which concluded that more than half of the suspicious deaths studied in California nursing homes were likely due to neglect, including malnutrition and dehydration. The study further found that nearly 1 in 3 California nursing homes had been cited by state inspectors for “serious or potentially life-threatening care problems.” The GAO report noted that these same problems can likely be found across the nation. Despite increased regulatory oversight of the nation’s nursing homes, it is safe to assume that many violation
