How prevalent is nursing home abuse?
More than 1.6 million Americans reside in more than 16,000 nursing homes across this country. A 1998 study conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) concluded that more than half of the suspicious deaths studied in nursing homes were probably due to nursing home neglect, including malnutrition an dehydration. The study also found that about 1 in 3 California nursing homes had been cited by state inspectors for “serious or potentially life-threatening care problems” that are likely to be found across the nation. Unreported instances of nursing home neglect and abuse most also be taken under consideration.
Over 1.5 million Americans reside in over 16,000 nursing homes across this country. A recent study conducted by the U.S. government concluded that more than half of the suspicious deaths studied in nursing homes were probably due to nursing home neglect, including malnutrition and dehydration. Unreported instances of abuse must also be taken under consideration when evaluating this statistic.
