Family members of nursing home residents often think putting them in nursing homes is the best way to take care of them, because their family members do not have time or budget to do that. What these family members do not realize is nursing homes are places where their elders easily become helpless and lonely because everything is taken away from them—they cannot do anything that they want (Bill Thomas, “Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom”). This can cause these nursing home residents’ illness to become worse because of their emotional states—they may become more irritated and depressed. Being in nursing homes may also cause the elders’ communication skills to decline depending on how long they have been living there because they rarely talk to anyone, and they do not have to do the daily activities which can decrease their memory systems.
Moreover, the staff of the institute may not fulfill their responsibilities to these residents, such as not helping the residents with their eating activities which can cause malnutrition, weight loss, and sickness.
Additionally, some family members think that the elders are being a burden to them; therefore, nursing homes are the perfect place for them because they have someone to take care of them. They do not know the residents are being abused by the nurses. For instance, Madeline, a 75-year-old woman, was ignored and snapped at by her nurse.
Elder Neglect 