While most of us would rather not think about it, the unfortunate reality is that nursing home abuse and neglect are two very real problems that plague the nursing home industry across the United States. While nursing homes and the employees that work there are required by law to treat those in their care with the utmost dignity and respect, the reality of what goes on behind closed doors often doesn’t match the ideal that the law imposes.
By almost every account, nursing home abuse and neglect figures are not accurately reflected by almost any study. This is because there is a gross lack of reporting when it comes to these problems. This is for several reasons, including:
- A resident’s inability to effectively communicate what is happening to them, due to a medical condition;
- A resident’s failure to tell loved ones what is happening to them because they fear for their own safety or are embarrassed to do so;
- A resident’s complaints of abuse or neglect falling on unsympathetic or skeptical ears; and
- A lack of hard, physical evidence documenting the abuse or neglect.
However, the fact remains that nursing home abuse occurs every day across the State of Maryland, and often with no one knowing about it besides the resident and the abusive employee.