Grey, Black and Blue: Nursing Home Violence

In this Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news special exposé, journalist Erica Johnson doesn't focus on the subject of nursing home staff abusing residents, but rather resident violence towards other residents. With the aid of hidden cameras (blurring obscures the faces of the antagonists) and interviews with employees and other experts, Johnson investigates this growing problem stemming from understaffing, insufficient training, and increasing numbers of patients with dementia. The Canadian government confirms that one out of five long-term care residents is “highly aggressive,” but with fewer psychiatric facilities to house them, more end up in nursing homes (Johnson speaks with a woman named Penelope whose aunt suffered physical and psychological torture at the hands of a disturbed resident; the authorities later ruled her death a homicide). Some of these patients aren't even seniors, but cognitively-impaired adults in their 40s and 50s without anywhere else to go. Although Johnson looks specifically at facilities in Ontario (Hamilton and Toronto), her findings would likely also apply to nursing home violence in the United States. Grey, Black and Blue calls attention to a dire situation, but ends on a helpful note with suggestions for selecting a long-term care facility and determining whether workers are properly monitoring and protecting their patients. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)