What Are the States With the Highest Levels of Elder Abuse?

There might come a time when transitioning a parent or grandparent to a long-term care facility is the best option for helping them maintain their quality of life. Nursing homes provide many benefits, such as around-the-clock care and support, including medical supervision, diet, and socialization. Although providing care is the primary mission of the nursing home, there are occasional limits, especially as it relates to the nursing home being understaffed.

The Milwaukee Community Journal recently reported on the Department of Justice’s annual report to Congress about the wide range of enforcement actions to combat elder fraud, abuse, and neglect. From the story, “The DOJ’s report highlighted a broad initiative against elder fraud schemes affecting over 225,000 seniors. Fraud cases ranged from romance scams to government impersonation schemes, with DOJ efforts stopping $27 million in fraudulent transfers before they reached perpetrators. With assistance from financial institutions, the DOJ returned millions of dollars to victims and provided resources through its National Elder Fraud Hotline, which handled more than 50,000 calls from older adults seeking support and guidance.”

It should be reassuring to know that there are many agencies dedicated to preventing abuse against the most vulnerable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that there are 15,300 nursing homes with 1.3 million residents. That is a lot of facilities to oversee. What are the states with the highest level of elder abuse?

According to a survey conducted by Newsweek, these are the five states with the most problems with incidents of elder abuse:

• Washington
• Oregon
• Maine
• Missouri
• Texas

The article detailed that in Washington, there were 11,818 incidents of financial exploitation, while Texas had an average of 73,139 neglect cases each year.

Health Inspections for Nursing Homes

With regard to incidents of nursing home abuse, data collected by the World Health Organization found that “1 in 6 people over the age of 60 experienced some form of abuse in a community setting.”  

The vast majority of nursing homes work with Medicare. As a result, those facilities must comply with specific standards or risk losing their ability to bill Medicare for reimbursement. Medicare is one of the agencies that dispatch inspectors to those facilities. The following are the standards that the Medicare inspectors look for in a nursing home:

Staff

The recommendation for staff is that each resident receive a minimum of close to four hours of care each day. Obviously, that care is spread out throughout the day, but there needs to be enough staff in place to provide that support.

The right staff isn’t just about the number of employees but also about the quality. Nursing home staff needs to be properly trained and certified. When there is high turnover, there could be some cutting of corners when it comes to hiring qualified staff. It is vital that no matter who gets hired, they are given the right training to provide care for the residents.

Medication Management

The majority of nursing home residents are on prescribed medications. Those prescriptions need to be properly administered by the nursing home staff. They also have to monitor the residents for any potential side effects. Providing the wrong medication or dose could be a form of nursing home abuse.

Diet and Nutrition

Nursing home facilities are obligated to provide residents with meals, snacks, and drinks that meet their nutritional and dietary restrictions. All of that food needs to be stored, prepared and served properly. The kitchen facilities at nursing homes need to meet the same standards as a restaurant.

Additionally, the inspection teams observe how the staff interacts with residents. Are they being engaged with? Are their hygiene and grooming needs being met? They also look at the facility environment. Is it being kept clean? Is the bedding being changed? Are virus and infection protocols being followed?

Suspicions of Abuse

It can be challenging to accept that the facility you placed your loved one in might be causing them harm. Even though the nursing home is providing care, you still need to always be on alert for the following signs of abuse:

• Behavior changes
• Neglecting hygiene
• Sudden weight loss
• Financial oddities
• Neglect
• Isolation

You can read more details about the signs of abuse to watch out for on your visits with your loved one.

If you suspect that your loved one is being abused, you should report it to the facility staff in writing as an email. That will create the start of an official record and compel a response. If the problem persists, you might need to engage the services of an experienced attorney who understands these complex issues. There are options for filing complaints with states and local agencies as well as seeking compensation. You’ll feel better knowing your loved one is cared for correctly.