In a recent inspection conducted by a nationwide advocacy group, over three-quarters of Massachusetts’ nursing care facilities were guilty of at least one deficiency.
The Families for Better Care (FBC) state-by-state report card cited the number of facilities with serious deficiencies ( 24%), and the extremely high number of verified ombudsman complaints (95%) in ranking Massachusetts nursing homes 19th among the states overall. Alaska, Rhode Island and New Hampshire made up the top three. Indiana, Louisiana and Texas were the bottom three.
The pattern of high-quality facilities and poor-quality facilities had nothing to do with geography, education, income or other socioeconomic and political factors. FBC and other analysts see a one-to-one relationship between staffing levels and nursing home care. Simply put, according to FBC director Brian Lee, nursing homes that cut corners on personnel and staffing have been and probably always will be the worst elder care facilities.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 20% of Americans will be aged 65 or over by 2050. Approximately 10% of elder adults surveyed stated that they had suffered abuse. Since elder abuse is vastly underreported, the actual number is probably far greater. Elder abuse is nearly always inflicted by a caregiver or family member. Some common categories include:
If you notice any physical injuries or unusual behavior when you visit your loved one, speak to an attorney right away to halt the abuse.