According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 16,000 total nursing homes across the country. As of the latest estimates, around 1.5 million people reside in nursing homes throughout the US, a number that is expected to increase significantly over the coming decade. Unfortunately, there are many common complaints about nursing homes that come from both residents as well as their family members.
Some of the most common complaints among nursing home residents include the following:
Slow response time to assistance calls
Poor quality of food
Staffing shortages
A lack of social interaction
Sleep disturbances
While these complaints may not constitute abuse in and of themselves, you can see how these complaints mirror some of the common causes of nursing home abuse in general. A slow response time to calls for assistance could be an indicator of understaffing or a lack of training at a nursing home. Poor food quality could be an indicator of a lack of proper nutrition. A lack of social interaction could be an indication of emotional and psychological nursing home abuse.