New Study Shows that Nursing Home Abuse is All Too Common, But From a Source You Might Not Expect.

Unfortunately, the neglect and abuse of individuals in nursing homes is nothing new. It can be devastating to learn that, your loved one has been the victim of neglect or abuse in the nursing home, causing you to file a complaint against the facility or to speak with a nursing home abuse attorney.

According to a new research study, however, one in five individuals have experienced physical or verbal mistreatment from other residents in the facility. Most of the nursing home abuse claims present today have to do with allegations against staff members at the facility.

More than 2,000 residents recently participated in a surveillance study for one full month in 10 suburban and urban nursing homes in New York. According to the research project managers, this was the first big systematic study regarding resident-to-resident abuse. Mistreatment included all kinds of behaviors such as being run over by a wheelchair, physical violence, sexual assault, having food taken from your plate, and verbal abuse. The most common type of abuse between nursing home residents was verbal, although one-quarter of incidents were physical in nature.

Of the 2,000 study participants, more than 400 experienced at least one incident of mistreatment during the month that the study happened. According to research from the Administration for Community Living operated under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5 million elderly Americans are the victims of abuse every single year.

If you believe that your loved one has been subjected to nursing home abuse and neglect, it is in your best interest to consult with a knowledgeable Erie, Pennsylvania nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible. This could be imperative for stopping the cycle of abuse and protecting your loved one as well as other residents. A nursing home abuse attorney can tell you more about what you need to move forward with a legal claim as well as how this might impact your loved one’s care in the short run.