Elder abuse involves any form of physical, sexual, financial, or emotional abuse or neglect committed by nursing homes and their staff members against residents who are 60+ years old. This has long been a national issue. The World Health Organization stated that 1 in 6 people 60 years and older experienced some form of elder abuse in a community setting within the past year.
Further, a staggering 64.2% of staff reported that they committed abuse in the past year. These abuse rates are expected to rise as nations experience increased aging populations.
Despite these statistics, it’s still hard to grasp the true extent of elder abuse in nursing homes since many incidents go unreported. Fear of retaliation was cited as the primary reason residents failed to report their abusers.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the nation began to gain an understanding of the epidemic of elder abuse in the United States, with research suggesting that rates of abuse in communities and institutions increased by as much as 84%.
In 2022, the impact of nursing home abuse reached the steps of Washington, and the Biden Administration finally put a plan in motion to keep nursing home residents safe, stating that “for far too long, nursing home residents have been victims of an industry with little accountability to keep American seniors safe and protected.” The recognition of this issue offers a glimmer of hope for the many suffering in nursing homes nationwide.