What Are the Causes of Elderly Neglect in Nursing Homes?

According to E Medicine, by the year 2020 elderly people will account for 18 percent of the U.S. population. They suggest that between 3 percent and 10 percent of elderly Americans have suffered abuse or neglect of some type. Unfortunately, elderly nursing home residents sometimes experience neglect when caregivers, by providing inadequate food, clothing, shelter and medical care, fail to meet their basic needs.

Caregiver Stress

• Caring for elderly people, especially those with demanding medical problems or dementia, can be stressful, and that stress can combine with other stressors, such as financial or marital problems, and cause caregivers to become neglectful or abusive. Of course, not all caregivers that experience stress abuse or neglect those for whom they care.

  E Medicine reports that some forms of pathology in caregivers may lead to abuse or neglect, especially when caregivers face stressful situations. Examples of pathology in caregivers that might lead to neglect include alcohol or drug abuse or addiction, mental illness, and a history of suffering abuse or neglect in their own lives.

Inadequate Staffing

• The Elder Abuse Information website reports that inadequate staffing leads to abuse and neglect in some nursing homes, because many nursing homes do not meet the recommended staffing levels. When nurses and certified nursing assistants must care for too many residents, they may not receive the care they need.

Poorly Trained Staff

• Poor training of staff in nursing homes may account for some forms of neglect. For instance, poorly trained nursing assistants may not understand the need to turn bedfast patients every two hours, and neglecting this can lead to the development of bedsores. Poorly trained nurses may assume that loss of appetite is normal among the elderly, when in fact it often signals some medical problem. If caregivers assume that appetite loss is normal, they may neglect to investigate and recognize illnesses in the elderly for whom they care.

Vulnerability of Elderly People

• The vulnerability of some elderly nursing home patients places them at risk for neglect. Those with mental or physical disabilities may be at greater risk. They have difficulty providing for their own needs and may also have difficulty telling someone if they do experience abuse or neglect. The social isolation of many nursing home residents also places them at risk. Even if they could tell someone that they are experiencing neglect, they may have no one to tell.