Homelessness In Nursing Home

The American Dream is a commonly understood dream. It consists of living a very privileged life. One in which one works at the job doing what they enjoy and is part of a family that they love. What is not as celebrated is what happens after this dream has passed its prime. Once a person becomes older, it may become difficult to do even the smallest of actions. Family members may become too busy or live too far away to be able to take care of their relative’s needs. In such situations, many residents are placed into nursing homes. The theory behind nursing homes is that they are places of love and care for senior citizens and elderly inhabitants that may require special care. At the mention of nursing homes, many individuals will recall a depressing and dreary image. This image corresponds with the neglect that residents of such nursing homes are subjected to. They involuntarily become isolated from their family and friends, and may end up facing neglect or indifference by their caretakers. Despite this, we have observed that when we visit nursing homes, the environment and attitude of the residents seem to change. The occupants enjoy our company, and in return, they share their wisdom and experiences with us. Our visits …show more content…
Social neglect in nursing homes is defined as “when the elder person is repeatedly ignored, left alone, or accidentally snapped at by an overstressed nursing home staff” (Nursing Home Abuse Guide). In a survey conducted with nursing home residents, 95% of residents reported either seeing another resident being neglected or facing this neglect themselves. Contrary to frequent belief, the nursing home staff is not responsible for all of the neglect experienced by the residents. Nearly 22% of elder abuse is resident-to-resident which can be depicted along with other reasons for abuse in figure 1 (National Center on Elder