Is nursing home abuse really an issue in Virginia?

If you’re trying to make the difficult decision to place a loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility – of if you’ve already done so – you may be wondering if elder abuse is really a problem in these institutions.  After all, you don’t hear much about it on the news and you may not know anybody who has ever experienced a problem with nursing home abuse or neglect.

While elder abuse and neglect is not a rampant problem in Virginia, it is definitely an issue that everyone should be aware of.  In fact, the Virginia Department of Social Services has reported that in 2007 there were 13,515 reports of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation.  The majority of these reports – 65% – were found to be true.  We have more statistics available in our law library article, “Virginia Adult and Elder Abuse and Neglect Statistics”.

If you’d like to learn more about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation you can start here at these websites:

• Virginia Cooperative Extension Elder Abuse Alert
• MedLine Plus Elder Abuse Information Center
• The Mayo Clinic Elder Abuse
• National Center on Elder Abuse

To speak with one of our experienced attorneys about nursing home abuse, please contact us today.