How prevalent is nursing home neglect and abuse?
More than 1.6 million Americans reside in more than 16,000 nursing homes across this country. A 1998 study conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) concluded that more than half of the suspicious deaths studied in nursing homes were probably due to nursing home neglect, including malnutrition and dehydration. The study also found that about 1 in 3 California nursing homes have been cited by state inspectors for serious or potentially life-threatening care problems, but these citations are occurring across the nation and not in California alone. These figures also exclude unreported instances of nursing home neglect and abuse that must also be taken under consideration.
