Theft, poor supervision cited as serious problems in elder care

Carol Forsloff-- Recently the media has reported on theft in nursing homes and assisted living centers committed by staff, however patients themselves often steal from each other for different reasons, something that is often discounted in the reports of elder abuse.

For this article I am relating direct observations of patient treatment and the environment of the nursing homes from the interior to the exterior of the residences. The identity of the two women visited are confidential in this article due to the nature of their disabilities, family concerns and related issues. On the other hand, these patients' experiences were almost identical, in two separate residences.

Both women complained that food brought by guests had been taken from their rooms. They also reported theft of personal funds, spending money given to them by family members. Food was observed as so poorly prepared that nursing assistants told guests to eat before visiting patients in the lunch room because the food was “not good.” In one instance, two small, charred hamburgers with stale buns were given to those in the dining room for lunch, with several patients clearly having difficulty swallowing them. Both women reported that poor food led people to steal food from one another brought in from friends and family.

Both women also accused about money and personal items taken from their rooms. Rooms are left unlocked in both residences, so patients can easily wander from one room to another.

Crimes against the elderly are a major problem, with one of the worst examples taking place in Australia earlier this year, where a nurse set fire to a retirement home in order to cover up drug theft.

A legal expert tells us that one of the major problems in elder care is the lack of proper government oversight. There are no Federal regulations for assisted living and nursing homes, many of whom make considerable profit from caring for the elderly. Lack of trained personnel is a common problem cited. The consequences are lack of proper personal care of patients and random thefts by other patients or staff.

In order to prevent elder abuse and to protect them from unsafe conditions, proper regulations and oversight are considered essential.