Nursing Home Workers Underpaid Leads to High Incidents of Elder Abuse

Rick Patterson Firm: Owen, Patterson & Owen

It is believed that 1 in 20 of our elderly are victims of nursing home abuse, according to the National Center for Elder Abuse. In fact as many as 57% of nursing aids have admitted witnessing abuse. Some have even participated in the abuse. The report sites problems in the industry such as chronic understaffing and inadequate pay for workers.

I have witnessed firsthand the overtime and harsh conditions that many nursing home care workers are subject to , the long hours they put in and do not get paid for it, this has got to be one of the most stressful,underpaid and under appreciated jobs, these problems are due to become an epidemic with the coming wave of baby boomers. Unfortunately for the next wave of Nursing Home Residents the many warnings by experts are falling by the wayside , we don't feel enough is been done to head off this potential catastrophic situation