Public Advocate Issues Report On Elder Care in Long-term Care Facilities

TRENTON, NJ – Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen today released the annual report on the work of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly, which found that complaints of neglect and abuse in health-care facilities serving the elderly remained the same in the two most recent federal fiscal years.

New cases opened in federal fiscal year 2006 were 3,113, up one case from 3,112 in the prior fiscal year.  There were 862 abuse complaints, down from 981 the previous year.  There were 2,188 complaints of neglect and poor care in FFY 2006, up from 2,105 in FFY 2004.

“Elderly people living in nursing homes are especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect,” said Chen.  “The Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly, its investigators and a cadre of trained volunteers safeguard thousands of our aging citizens, many with no family to watch over them.”

The office’s mission is to secure and protect the rights of, and to promote the dignity of, individuals age 60 and older, living in long-term care facilities.  Among the kinds of facilities are nursing homes, boarding homes, adult day-care programs, public and private psychiatric hospitals and seven developmental centers operated by the Department of Human Services.

Tracing population trends reflecting an aging New Jersey population, the report predicts that the need for quality long-term care services is likely to increase proportionately. 

When the last U.S. Census was compiled in 2000, 1,443,782 people, or 17.2 percent of the state’s residents, were over the age of 60.  The Census predicts that by the year 2030, 2,518,734 people – or 27.5 percent, more than one out of every four New Jersey residents – will be over the age of 60.

The fastest-growing segment of that population will be those 85 years or older.  That group is expected to more than double during the decades, from 135,999 people in 2000 and 290,911 in 2030.

The report expects a continuation of the trend of the past 10 years, with the population of people in nursing homes to remain about the same but the number of beds in assisted-living facilities to increase.

“Generally, healthy persons with limited care needs, and persons in the early stages of dementia who would have gone into a nursing home 10 years ago, are now going into assisted living facilities.  While the licensed bed capacity of nursing homes has not changed significantly in 10 years, the patient mix has changed dramatically.

“Nursing homes are now caring for sicker, needier persons, with much more complex and demanding care needs,” the report says.

The report noted that the use of community-based services may serve as a counter-balance to the “extreme increases in the number of older people requiring long-term care.”

The shift could occur because of advances in medical technology, new home design that is “senior/disabled friendly,” consumer preference to stay at home, and federal and state policies favoring home- and community-based services.

State law requires caretakers and licensed professionals to report alleged incidents of abuse to the Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly.  Fines of up to $5,000 can be imposed for failing to report allegations of abuse.

Anyone suspecting abuse or neglect of an elderly person in a long-term care facility is urged to call the 24-hour toll-free hotline, 1-877-582-6995 or by writing to the Office of the Ombudsman, P.O. Box 852, Trenton, NJ 08625-0852.  All calls are kept confidential.  The e-mail address is PublicAdvocate@advocate.state.nj.us.

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