BACKGROUND: There has been little systematic research on the incidence, injury type and resident characteristics of alleged physical mistreatment of nursing home residents by staff. METHODS: We reviewed all incidents reported to the MA Dept of Public Health coded for suspected staff to resident abuse that occurred from Jan 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000 in MA nursing homes which named a resident, had a narrative and excluded those which stated the only harm indicator was emotional upset or unwanted sexual contact. RESULTS: Of the 194 residents who met criteria, 138 were women and 56 men. Mean and mode ages were 75 and 79 for men, respectively, and both mean and mode equaled 84 for women. We recorded the number of injury types and sites of injury which included dislocations, fractures, lacerations, bruises and reddened areas involving the face, head, arms, pelvis and legs. Cognitive level was reported for 116 patients of which 28% were coded as alert and 70% either demented, known Alzheimer's or confused. ADL status was completed for 111 residents of which 60.4% as dependent and rest as other. CONCLUSIONS: Staff to resident allegations of physical mistreatment may be associated with physical trauma and emotional upset. The true incidence is extremely difficult to determine due to probable undetected events, under-reporting and some false accusations, but based on these preliminary findings it may be a significant cause of physical and emotional morbidity among nursing home residents.
Learning Objectives: 1. Gain insight into the approximate magnitude of the problem, typical alleged victim characteristics and possible injury types. 2. Realize that true ascertainment of the problem's extent is very diffisult, and both over and under-estimation may occur.
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.