BACKGROUND: There has been very little systematic research on the incidence, injury type and resident characteristics of alleged physical mistreatment of nursing home residents by other residents. METHODS: We reviewed all incident reported to the MA Dept of Public Health coded for suspected resident to resident physical abuse that occurred from Jan 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000 which named resident victim, had a narrative and excluded those which involved sexual contact or did not result in sustained physical damage. RESULTS: 340 residents met the inclusion criteria of whom 160 were men and 180 were women. For those whose age was reported the modes were 70 and 80 for men and women, respectively. We counted the number and site of injuries which included fractures, dislocations, lacerations, hematomas/bruises and redness. It is difficult to discern if some victims provoked an attack, but from the narrative it appears residents may have done so by wandering into the wrong room or eating off another's plate, some totally unprovoked and rest as undetermined. Cognitive level was noted for 243 victims of which 68.3% were coded as either confused, diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia; the remainder were coded as other. ADL was noted for 228 victims of which 44% dependent and the rest either coded as other. CONCLUSIONS: There were several hundred other reports of violence which did not result in identifiable trauma that, with this, suggest violence may be a major cause of morbidity in nursing homes.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the approximate magnitude, injury types and characteristics of residents involved in abuse inflicted by other nursing home residents. 2. Appreciate that the exact magnitude of this problem is very hard to estimate.
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.