Elder Abuse and Neglect in Assisted Living Facilities

Written by Adam Peck Category: Assisted Living August 29th, 2018 2 min read

Elder Abuse and Neglect in Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted living abuse has been on the rise. This type of neglect and abuse involves mistreatment of residents in assisted living facilities and is becoming an important issue in healthcare. It’s estimated that around four to five percent of residents in assisted living facilities have suffered some type of mistreatment or abuse.

Limited Research on Elder Abuse

Presently, there is limited research about the prevalence of assisted living neglect and abuse for multiple reasons. One reason for the lack of research is that these incidents of abuse and neglect are often unreported. Some of the reasons why the victims do not report this abuse include: embarrassment, the frailty of the victim, and a lack of physical means to report it, such as a lack of access to a phone or having a disability that prevents them from making a report.

Riskiest Environments for Elder Abuse

Studies indicate that elderly individuals are at a greater risk for abuse and neglect at larger assisted living facilities with a high number of patients and staff. These studies determined that there were significant correlations between the amount of beds in a facility, high rates of staff turnover, the number of aids, and number of nurses, along with total incidents of mistreatment of patients. Additionally, there was found to be a positive correlation between physical nursing home neglect and the staff-to-patient ratio of the facility. There was also a positive correlation between the total number of mistreatment events per patient and the staff ratio of the assisted living facility.

Elder abuse and neglect is becoming more common and must be prevented. If you have concerns that your loved one has suffered assisted living neglect or abuse as a resident of an assisted living facility, contact The Peck Law Group right away. The attorneys at The Peck Law Group will aggressively fight for your rights.

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