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Statistics about nursing home abuse

On Behalf of | Apr 10, 2017 | nursing home abuse and neglect

Nursing home abuse is a concern in Georgia and across the United States. As the elderly population continues to grow, it is going to continue to be something that needs to be addressed. The National Center on Elder Abuse reports that the age group over 85 has steadily grown in the past twenty years and is expected to experience even higher growth in the next 30 years.

Elder abuse can include financial exploitation and neglect, along with being psychological, physical or sexual in nature. In any event, it causes harm of some kind to the person due to the actions of another person and is illegal in all forms. There has been an increase in the reporting of elder abuse, which is allowing organizations to have a better idea of just what is occurring, who is doing it and how often it happens.

Statistic Brain reports that almost 10 percent of the elderly population has experienced or will experience some type of mistreatment. Most often this is neglect at 58.5 percent of the population. However, physical abuse (15.7 percent) and financial exploitation (12.3 percent) are also prevalent. Most victims are white (66.4 percent) and female (67.3 percent).

About 36 percent of all nursing homes have been found in violation of elder abuse laws. In addition, about 91 percent of these facilities do not have the right amount of staff to properly care for patients and prevent such abuse. However, it is more likely that a person will be abused by a family member than by a caregiver in a nursing home with 66 percent of abuse cases involving the person’s spouse or adult children. 

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