The article below gives an insightful overview of some of most common causes of serious injury and/or death in the nursing home setting that are completely preventable:
1) Malnutrition;
2) Dehydration; and
3) Infected Pressure Sores.
The article cites data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was analyzed by the Detroit Free Press. The data indicates that nearly 14,000 deaths in nursing home patients between 1999 and 2002 were caused by malnutrition, dehydration, and/or infected pressure sores. The author of the article, Andrea Billups, also recounts some specific instances of neglect and abuse in facilities nationwide. Understaffing at nursing homes is named as one of the causes of such neglect. Although it was published in 2006, its findings are certainly still relevant and worth reading.
Website Resources:
Deadly Neglect: The shocking truth about what’s going on in America’s nursing homes, Andrea Billups, Reader’s Digest, December 2006.
