Grey, Black and Blue
The statistics
Incident reporting rules vary greatly from province to province, so comparisons across the country are difficult. But in Ontario alone, the number of assaults between nursing home residents has tripled over a three year period:
- 2003 - 446 assaults
- 2004 - 864 assaults
- 2006 - 1415 assualts
On average there are now four attacks reported every day in Ontario. The Ontario government's own documents reveal that one in five nursing home residents is now considered "highly aggressive."
There have been almost twenty resident-to-resident homicides in Ontario nursing homes in the past 10 years. The assailants have been as young as 35 and as old as 92.
For almost 15 years Ontario’s coroners have made dozens of recommendations, warned about violence and urged the government to protect the elderly from aggressive residents.
In 2005, after an inquest into the beating death of two long term care residents the Ontario coroner for geriatric and long term care made 85 recommendations. Most have not been implemented. Here's a link to the coroner's report from that inquest.
October 17, 2007
E-mail | Share on Facebook | Save on del.icio.us | Post to Digg
Comments - Share your thoughts
Share your thoughts
Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that due to the volume of comments we receive, not all comments will be published, and those that are published may be edited. But all will be carefully read, considered and appreciated.