Nursing home residents reluctant to voice concerns, report abuse or neglect for fear of retaliation: survey

Nursing home residents are often reluctant to voice concerns about their care or report abuse or neglect for fear of retaliation by staff, according to a new survey.

The survey from the Long Term Care Community Coalition, which was released for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, highlights residents’ experiences with fear of retaliation “in their own words.”

In one case, a staff member at a nursing home reportedly told a resident that if she didn’t go to bed against her wishes, “I won’t help you during the night shift.” A separate resident’s family was told, “You better not call state (regulatory services), or it will be worse for the residents.”

One resident alleged that reporting a kitchen staff member resulted in them “not putting a food item on your tray or sabotaging your meal,” while another said that an aide placed a towel with feces on their face and nose after asking to be cleaned with towels instead of paper towels.

“Staff acted like we were non-people,” a resident in the survey said. “They don’t even acknowledge that we are human.”

A report released by the Senate Special Committee on Aging last month found that staffing shortages at state survey agencies have led to a lack of proper oversight of nursing homes.

“The system responsible for ensuring that nursing homes meet health and safety standards is in crisis,” Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the committee’s chairman, said in a statement at the time.

The Long Term Care Community Coalition survey featured complaint investigation reports from 100 nursing homes in 30 states between 2017 and 2022. However, the survey noted that its “sample is small and not intended to be representative of nationwide trends.”