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41 Santa Clara L. Rev. 867 (2000-2001)
The Nursing Home Dilemma in America Today: The Suffering Must be Recognized and Eradicated

handle is hein.journals/saclr41 and id is 889 raw text is: THE NURSING HOME DILEMMA IN AMERICA TODAY: THE SUFFERING MUST BE RECOGNIZED AND ERADICATED Christine V. Williams* I. INTRODUCTION Headlines and lawsuits about nursing home neglect and abuse frequently grab the nation's attention.! Oftentimes, pictures and stories reported by the media shock and horrify America.2 Sadly, however, most injuries of neglect and abuse do not make headlines. Most victims suffer in silence, their injuries consisting most often of bedsores, too many and ill-applied restraints, and sitting in their own waste for extended periods of time.' Frequently, long-term care facilities pose dangers to the residents resulting from understaffing and overworking their personnel.4 This situation creates working conditions that leave staff feeling unappreciated and vulnerable to injuries.' As the population ages and national expenditures on nursing home care continue to rise,7 the public must turn its attention to nursing homes and their problems before the facilities become inundated with clients they are already ill * Ethics Editor, Santa Clara Law Review, Volume 41. J.D. candidate, Santa Clara University School of Law; B.A., University of Alaska, Anchorage. 1. See generally infra Part II.A. 2. See generally infra Part II.A. 3. See generally infra Part II.A. 4. See generally infra Part V. 5. See generally infra Part V. 6. See Administration on Aging, Life Expectancy Trends (visited Nov. 6, 1999) <http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/aoa/stats/agetrend/threel.html> [hereinafter Life Expectancy]. 7. See Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Highlights Health and Aging (last modified Sept. 27, 1999) <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/Pubs/ pubd/hus/heaging.htm>. 867