Nursing Home Abuse Statistics

Facts & statistics regarding elder abuse in US nursing homes.

While researchers may differ on some statistical findings, one thing on which they generally agree is that nursing home abuse has reached epidemic proportions and now requires collaborative intervention.

Unlike child abuse and domestic violence, nursing home abuse is often overlooked, ignored, and under-reported. Some experts believe that our knowledge and level of awareness is two decades behind where it should be. The issue of nursing home abuse is in dire need of more research, in addition to a coordinated and systematic approach to solving the problem.

The following statistics have been compiled from a variety of sources, and today we'll be looking at the numbers in order try to highlight the most-interesting and revealing statistical information regarding elder abuse in nursing homes across the US, as well as in Texas.

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• In 2014, there were approximately 1.4 million nursing home residents in the US spread across 15,600 facilities.

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• Over 40% of nursing home residents have reported abuse, while over 90% have reported that either they or another resident have suffered from neglect.

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• Data from the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS) shows that in 2014 alone, 14,258 of the 188,599 complaints reported to Ombudsman programs involved abuse, gross neglect, and/or exploitation.

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• One study estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse are reported to authorities.

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• From 1999 to 2001, almost 33% of all nursing home facilities received citations for serious violations of federal standards.

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• Of the nursing homes that received citations, nearly 10% involved violations that posed a risk of serious injury or death to residents in their care.

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• A study conducted in 2010 revealed that nearly 50 percent of all nursing home attendants admitted to abusing or neglecting elderly patients in one way or another.

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• Approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse.

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• One study found that 47% of nursing home patients with dementia had been mistreated by nursing home staff. 88.5% of them reported psychological abuse, 19.7% alleged physical abuse, and 29.5% reported that they were victims of neglect.

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• A study conducted by the U.S. General Accountability Office (U.S. GAO) revealed that 70% of state surveys miss at least one deficiency, and 15% of surveys miss instances of actual harm and immediate jeopardy of a nursing home resident.

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• The New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study discovered that for every known case of nursing home abuse in the state, there were 24 cases that agencies were unaware of.

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• Elders who experienced abuse, even modest abuse, had a 300% higher risk of wrongful death when compared to those who had not been abused.

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Texas nursing home abuse statistics.

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• A recent study the Texas Health Care Association commissioned showed that the number of healthcare violations increased by 20% in Texas nursing homes between 2010 and 2014.

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• During the 2015 fiscal year, investigators uncovered 454 violations in Texas nursing homes that had the potential to place nursing home residents in immediate danger, and another 312 that actually placed residents in harm’s way.

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• Texas had the highest rate of inspections that resulted in "immediate jeopardy" deficiencies (3.7%) in 2013.

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• Turnover of nursing home staff in Texas was a staggering 98% in 2014, compared to only 27% in the state of New York.

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• The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) only took action a total of 40 times during the fiscal year 2015, in spite of the fact that inspectors cited 17,466 violations at nursing homes that year.

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• A report published by Better Care (an advocacy group based in Florida) showed that the state of Texas received a failing grade on nursing home care, and was the only state that received failing grades in six out of eight statistical measurements.

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• Better Care’s report also showed Texas had the lowest percentage of nursing homes that showed above-average ratings in direct-care staffing.

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• In 2011, the Department of Aging and Disability Services recommended the closure of 372 nursing facilities because of perceived deficiencies. However, it reconsidered the termination of all but one of those facilities.

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• Of the ~1,200 nursing home facilities in Texas, 94% of the violations were distributed among only 328 nursing homes.

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If you have questions or wish to add anything, please leave a comment below!