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Mentally ill make nursing homes a dangerous place
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Russell Smith holds a photo of his stepfather, Ivory Jackson,and
half-sister, Anita Jackson, outside the All Faith Pavilion nursing home
on Oct. 9, 2008, in Chicago. At 77, Ivory Jackson, who suffered from
Alzheimer's, died in June 2008 after being attacked by his mentally
ill roommate as he lay in his nursing home bed.
(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Elderly residents in nursing homes across the country may be at increased risk from violence, says the Associated Press. This may be due to the increasing number of mentally ill patients that are being admitted to these communities.
Using Associated Press interviews and data analysis from all 50 states, the news organization claims that nursing homes are now the “dumping grounds” for young and middle-aged adults who suffer from mental illness—such as schizophrenia, depression, and manic-depressive disorder.
In many cases, these younger individuals are living in the same room as older, frailer residents. This mixture can breed violence and sometimes cause death to the senior citizens.
The AP reports that last year, close to 125,000 young and middle-aged individuals, who suffered from mental illness, lived in nursing homes. This number has increased over 40 percent since 2002, when the number was 89,000 mentally ill adults between the ages of 22 and 64.
Almost all states saw an increase in this number, but the five states with the highest increase are Alabama, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, and Utah.
In 2008, around 2,900 mentally ill adults lived in nursing homes in the state of Tennessee. This is an increase from the 1,958 individuals in 2002.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that 6 percent of Americans suffer from a serious mental illness. They estimate that 1 in 5 families are affected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that four of the ten leading causes of disability in developed countries are mental disorders.
For specific cases of the trend of mentally ill adults inflicting violence and sometimes death on their elderly roommates, go to:
The mentally ill in Tennessee nursing homes:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness:
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