Abuse in Georgia Long Term Care Facilities Often Unreported, Unpunished
Despite reports of neglect and abuse from residents in nursing homes in Atlanta, state investigators "give little heed" to the complaints and "rarely interview" the people involved, the Cox News/Baltimore Sun reports. As part of a study by the Atlanta Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, researchers tracked 70 "verified" complaints that had been reported to the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) of the Georgia Department of Human Resources. While all the reports of abuse were confirmed by ombudsmen, only five of the complaints resulted in citations against the homes. Researchers conducted interviews with residents in the homes and found many did not report alleged abuses because they felt "it won't do any good." In addition, many residents feared retaliation from nursing home staff if they reported any neglect or abuse. The report concluded that feelings of "disenfranchisement, vulnerability and helplessness" were common among the residents studied. State ombudsman Becky Kutz said, "It appears to us that a big problem is the thoroughness of the investigation," adding
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